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LIFE  OF  A 


PIONEER 


BEING    THE 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


OF 


James   S.  Brown 


SAI/T  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH: 

GEO.  Q.  CANNON  &  SONS  CO.,  Printers. 
1900. 


Entered  According  i<>  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  tear  L9i   .  bi 

JAMES    8.    BROWN, 
in  the  Office  of  tin:  librarian  of  Congress  \t  Washington. 


PREFACE. 


THE  life  of  a  pioneer  in  Western  America  always  is 
full  of  peril  and  hardship;  often  it  has  a  large  share 
of  startling  episodes  and  thrilling  adventures;  not  infre- 
quently it  is  associated  with  notable  historic  events;  and 
the  experiences  met  with  develop  independence  of  charac- 
ter, firmness  of  purpose,  and.  in  those  whose  spiritual  nature 
is  not  dwarfed  by  unworthy  conduct,  a  sublime  faith  in  God 
that  when  man  puts  forth  his  highest  endeavor  all  things 
beyond  the  scope  of  his  efforts  are  ordered  for  the  best  bv 
the  Great  Ruler  of  the  universe.  When  to  the  pioneer's 
experiences  are  added  those  that  come  from  travel  in  for- 
eign lands,  perils  of  the  sea.  and  the  hostility  of  warlike 
foes,  the  narrative  of  such  a  life  cannot  fail  to  be  alike 
profitable  and  interesting  reading  to  both  young  and  old. 

The  subject  of  the  autobiographical  sketch  in  this  vol- 
ume feels  that  he  is  not  presumptuous  in  saying  that  each 
class  of  experience  named  in  relation  to  the  pioneer  and  the 
traveler  has  been  his.  The  perils  and  hardships  of  the 
pioneers  in  whose  work  he  commingled  have  been  the 
theme  of  song  and  story  for  half  a  century;  the  thrilling 
and  adventurous  character  of  his  experiences  as  frontiers- 
man and  Indian  interpreter  were  of  a  kind  notable  even  in 
those  avocations;  his  association  with  historic  events  of 
moment  includes  the  period  when  the  territorial  area  of  the 
great  Republic  was  almost  doubled  by  the  acquisition  of  the 
Pacific  slope  and  the  Rocky  Mountain  region,  and  when 
the  great  gold  discovery  in  California  was  made,  since  he 
was  a  member  of  the  famous  Mormon  Battalion  and  also 
was  present  at  the  finding  of  gold  in  California,  being  the 
first  man  to  declare — on  tests  made  by  himself — that  the 
little  yellow  flakes  were  the  precious  metal;  and  his  reliance 

273790 


IV  PREFACE. 

on  Deity  is  portrayed  in  his  missionary  work  at  home  and 
in  foreign  lands,  with  civilized  people  and  among  savages, 
often  in  circumstances  when  life  itself  appaivntlv  was  forfeit 
to  duty  conscientiously  performed. 

In  the  following  pages  there  is  no  claim  to  transcend- 
ent literary  merit.  Yet  the  writer  feels  that  the  narrative 
is  presented  in  the  plain  and  simple  language  of  the  people, 
with  a  clearness  and  force  of  expression  that  will  be  pleas- 
ing and  impressive  to  every  reader  possessed  of  ordinary 
or  of  superior  educational  attainments;  while  the  very  sim- 
plicity and  directness  of  the  language  used,  far  from  em- 
bellishing the  events  described,  prove  an  invaluable  guide 
in  securing  accuracy,  that  not  an  incident  shall  be  over- 
drawn or  given  undue  importance. 

The  purpose  of  the  writer  has  been  to  relate  the  story 
of  his  life,  for  the  benefit  and  entertainment  of  his  children 
and  friends,  and  of  all  others  who  may  read  it,  and  to  do 
so  with  a  strict  regard  for  veracity;  for  he  feels  that  the 
numerous  thrilling  and  sensational  incidents  in  his  life  were 
sufficiently  exciting  to  bear  a  toning  down  that  comes  from 
calm  contemplation  when  the  agitation  of  the  immediate 
occurrence  has  passed,  rather  than  to  need  the  coloring  of 
a  graphic  pen.  In  such  a  presentation,  too,  he  feels  that 
the  result  of  his  labors  in  this  respect  will  be  a  further  step 
in  carrying  out  that  which  has  been  the  leading  purpose  of 
his  life,  namely,  to  do  good  to  all  mankind,  to  the  glory  of 
God. 

With  a  fervent  desire  and  firm  confidence  that  every 
worthy  aim  in  presenting  this  autobiography  shall  be 
achieved,  and  shall  find  a  vigorous  and  ennobling  response 
in  the  hearts  of  those  who  read  it,  the  leading  events  of  his 
life,  and  the  narration  thereof,  are  respectfully  submitted  to 
his  family  and  friends  by 

The  Author. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Home  of  the  Author— A  Career  of  Thrilling  Experiences— His  Birth  and 
Parentage— Early  Avocations— Migration  from  North  Carolina  to  Illi- 
nois— Life  on  the  Frontier— Dangers  to  Early  Settlers— A  Frontiersman— 
Father's  Advice— More  Settlers  Come — Churches  and  Schools— Limited 
Opportunities— Frozen  Feet— Unimpressionable  to  the  Preaching  of  the 
Time— Talk  of  a  New  Religion,  Prophets,  Miracles,  etc.— Prosecution  of 
the  New  Church— "Showers  of  Stars"— Popular  Adverse  Views  of  the  Mor- 
mons—The  Mormons  Driven  from  Missouri  Into  Illinois— Mormon  Elder 
Conies  to  Preach— Converts  Uncle  James  Brown— Preaches  Again— Prep- 
arations to  Mob  the  Elder— His  Scriptural  Doctrine  Disconcerts  Enemies 
and  Secures  him  Friends— His  Dlscours< — Effect  on  Young  James  s. 
Brown  of  the  First  Gospel  Sermon  to  him— His  Testimony  to  the  Spirit 
and  Truth  of  the  Elder's  Message it 

CHAPTER  II. 

Persecuted  by  Playmates— Give  Them  an  Effective  Check— Fight  with  Wild 
Beasts— Parents  Join  the  Mormons— The  Author  Holds  Back— Assassina- 
tion of  Josepb  an<\  Hyrum  smith— Mormons  Leave  Illinois  for  the  West— 

Exciting  Times— My  Winter's  Work— Father  Decides  to  Wait  a  While  Be- 
fore Leaving  Illinois— My  Determination  to  go  with  the  Mormons— Con- 
fide a  Secret  to  my  Mother— A  New  Consultation— Change  In  the  Family 
Plans— Fath<-r  Prepares  to  Btart— Gives  me  Permission  to  Go— Thlnksof 

Leaving  me  Because  of  Mv  Illness— I  Feel  to  Prefer  Death  to  Being  Left 
Behind 15 

CHAPTER  III. 

Start  for  Nauvoo— Taken  Severely  111— Tie-  Fold  Answers  my  Prayer  for  Re- 
lief—Pass  through  Carthage — In  Nauvoo  "The  Beautiful,"  hut  Almost 
Deserted  ('it v— Scene  on  the  Iowa  Shore—*  Iross  the  Mississippi— Curious 
Make-up  of  the  Exiles' Teams— Tin-  had  Roads— Stuck  in  the  Mud— Re- 
pairing Camps— Good  Order  Maintained— Unnecessary  Killing  of  Game 
Forbidden— Reach  Grand  River  and  Put  In  a  Crop— Learn  of  the  Call  for 
the  Mormon  Battalion— Apostles  as  Recruiting  Officers— Call  for  Volun- 
teers—Response  by  the  Camp— Received  into  the  church  by  Baptism- 
Filled  with  the  LoVe  of  the  Gospel— (iet  the  spirit  to  Enlist— Consult  my 
Relatives  and  Ezra  T.  Benson— An  Elder's  Promise— Join  the  Mormon 
Battalion 20 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Start  for  the  Battalion  Rendezvous— A  Journey  of  Hardship— In  the  Mor- 
mons' Camp  on  Missouri  River— First  Experiences  in  the  Army— Blessed 
by  Apostles— Prophetic  Address  by  President  Brigham  YOung— The  Bat- 
talion starts  on  its  Long  Journey —Doing  Camp  Duty— Heavy  storms  and 
Insufficient  Rations— Hard  Experiences— At  Fort  Leavenworth— Mexican 
Mules  as  a  Cure  for  Egotism— Colonel  Allen  Taken  ill  -On  the  Santa  Fe 
Road— Suffering  from  1  hirst— Sickness  anions:  the  Troops— Dr.  G.  B. 
Sanderson,  a  Tyrannical  Quack— Army  Merchants— order  of  Marching.    25 

CHAPTER  V. 

Crossing  of  the  Kaw  River— Indian  Farmers— Fierce  Storm  on  Stone  Coal 
Creek— Crossing  a  Creek  with  Precipitous  Banks— Ruins  of  an  Ancient 
City— Wagonload  of  Sick  Upset  in  a  Stream— Sad  News  of  Col.  Allen's 


VI  CONTENTS. 

Death— Dispute  over  His  Successor— Military  Rules  Disregarded  In  Set- 
tling Hit-  Question— Troops  Dissatisfied— Sickness  In  Camp— Harshness  of 
the  New  Commander,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Smith— Brutality  of  the  Doctor 
—Doses  of  Objectionable  Medicine  in  an  » >i<i  iron  spoon— in  the  Coman- 
che Indian  Country— -Abuse  from  Lieutenant  colonel  Smith— Scarcity  of 
Fuel— Buffalo  Chips— Cooking  Food  under  Great  Difficulties— Decrease 
of  Sickness— Up  the  (.rand  Valley  of  the  Arkansas-Detachment  of  Sick 
sent  to  Pueblo— Mirages— Herds  of  Buffalo— On  the  sick  List— Beach  the 
Rocky  Mountains— Prehistoric  Ruins— In  Mexican  Villages— Arrival  at 
Santa  Pe 32 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Exemplary  conduct  of  the  Mormon  Troops— Lieutenant  colonel  P.  St.George 
Cooke  Arrives  and  Assumes  Command— A  Welome  Change— Another 
Detachment  of  sick,  also  the  Laundresses,  Sent  to  Pueblo  -Selecting  Men 
to  continue  the  Journey  to  California— Reducing  the  Baggag< — Difficul- 
ties of  the  1,100  Miles  .Journey  Ahead-  Poor  Equipment  Therefor— Leave 
Santa  Fe- Roads  of  Heavy  Sand— On  One-third  Rations— Hardships  In- 
crease -called  Feet  and  Gnawing  Stomachs- More  Sick  Men  for  Pueblo- 
Leaving  the  Last  Wagons -Mules  and  Oxen  In  a  Pack  Train— In  an  Un- 
known Country— Hunting  a  Pass  over  the  mountains -Alarm  of  an 
Enemy— A  Beaver  Dam- Crossing  the  Rio  Grande  Del  Nbrte-Greal 
Suffering  Among  the  Troops 40 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Pushing  to  the  West— Overhearing  a  conversation  with  Col.  Cooke— The 
Colonel  Fears  the  Men  Will  starve— No  Berries,  not  even  Bark  Of  Trees, 
for  Food -True  State  of  Affairs  as  to  the  outlook  Kept  from  Most  of  the 
Troops— Hides,  Intestines,  and  even  soft  Edges  of  Hoof s  and  Horns  of 
Animals  Eaten-  "Bird's  Eye  Soup."—  In  a  Snowstorm—  Relics  of  Anclenl 
Inhabitants— camp  without  Water— old  Silver  and  Copper  Mines  Hard- 
est Day  of  the  Journey— Men  Appear  as  if  stricken  with  Death -The 
Writer  so  111  as  to  be  Unable  to  Travel  Longer,  and  Expects  to  Die— Uncle 
Alexander  Stephens  Comes  with  Water  and  Revives  Him  Awful  Buffer- 
lngin  Camp— Reported  Sick  Next  Morning -Brutal  Dr.  Sanderson  Gives 
a  Deadly  Dose  of  Laudanum,  but  the  Writer  Vomits  it  After  Being  Made 
Fearfully  sick  -  In  Terrible  Distress  for  Days -Healed  by  the  Laying  on 
of  Hands  of  the  Elders  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints '. 47 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

On  the  Summit  of  the  Rocky  Mountains— Crossing  the  Backbone  of  the  North 

American  Continent— Review  of  the  Journey  -Graves  <  >pened  by  Wolves 
—Mutilated  Bodles-An  Unparalleled  Journey  of  Hardship— The  Pros- 
pect Ahead-A  Matter  of  Life  and  Death-Start  Down  the  t  a&flc  slope 
—Descending  the  Cliffs  with  Wagons  -One  Vehicle  Hips  and  is  reduced 
to  Kindling  Wood  and  Scrap  Iron— Dito  a  New  Climate -Change  in  the 
Character  of  Vegetation— Wild  Horses  and  cattle  Attacked  by  Wild 
Cattle -Several  Men  Hurt  and  one  Mule  Cored  to  |).;i!h  A  Number  of 
cattle  Killed— Suppy  of  Reef-Reach  the  Pan  Pedro  River— Traveling 
Through  a  Heavy  Growth  of  Mesquit  and  Chapparal—  Approach  the 
Mexican  Garrisoned  Town  of  Tucson-News  of  Approach  of  a  Large 
American  Army  Sent  to  the  Mexicans -order   Issued   by  Colonel  Cooke.    52 

CHAPTER  IX. 

On  the  Trail  to  Tucson— Excitement  In  the  Town  -Meet  Mexican  Soldiers  - 
Our  Numbers  Overrated  by  the  Indians-Mexican  Commander  under 
Orders  to  Oppose  us— Colonel  Cooke  Announces  his  Wish  to  I'asson 
Without  Hostilities— Arrest  of  1  orporal  Cassaduran,  son  of  the  Mexican 
Commander  at  Tucson,  and  other  Mexicans  who  are  Held  as  Hostages 
for  the  Return  of  our  Interpreter— The  Interpreter  is  Liberated— An 
Armistice  Proposed— Surrender  of  Tucson  Demanded— Mexican  Prison- 
ers Released— Surrender  is  Refused  Colonel  Cooke  orders  the  Battalion 
to  Prepare  for  Battle-  Advance  toward  the  Town-Flight  of  the  Mexi- 
cans—At the  Gates  of  Tucson-Our  Line  of  Rattle  Address  by  olonel 
Cooke  We  Enter  the  Town,  and  Pass  Through  to  Camp— Purchases  of 
Wheat,  corn,  etc.— The  battalion  nearly  Starved— Night  Alarm  of  a 
Mexican  Attack -Difficulties  of  Getting  into  Line-No  Enemy  in  Sight— 


CONTENTS.  VII 

Start  Across  the  Gila  Desert— Agony  on  the  Burning  Sands  and  Alkali 
Flats— Strengthened  by  the  Divine  Blessing— Beach  the  Gila  hirer 58 

CHAPTER  X. 

On  the  Gila  River— Pima  Indian  Village— Welcome  Gifts  from  the  Pimas— 
Among  the  Maricopa  Indians— Asleep  on  the  Trail— Visit  from  a  Bear— 
Loss  <«f  Provisions  Through  an  Attempt  to  Float  a  Quantity  Down  the  Gila 
—  Hard  Traveling— Crossing  the  Colorado  River— Gloom  In  the  Camp — 
Lower  and  Upper  California—  Terrible  March  over  the  Tierra  Caliente.  or 
Hot  Lands— Digging  Wells  for  Brackish  Water— Advance  Guard  Reach  a 
Mountain  Spring— Water  Carried  back  to  Revive  the  Fainting  Troops — 
Last  Spoonful  of  Flour  Used— Dividing  the  Rations— In  the  Canyons  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada— Hewing  Roads  through  Hocks  and  Brush— Feeding 
on  Live  Acorns  and  Green  Mustard — News  of  Victories  by  United  states 
Troops  in  California— Preparing  to  Engage  the  Retiring  Mexican  Army— 
First  House  Seen  in  California— Beef  Without  Salt— Trade  for  Acorn 
Mush— Heavy  Storm  and  Flood  In  (amp— a  Few  Pounds  of  Flour  se- 
cured— Dancing  in  Mud  and  Water— Receive  Orders  to  go  to  Los  Angeles — 
Discover  a  Body  of  Troops  in  Line  of  Battle— Advance  to  the  Attack— 
Supposed  Foe  Proves  to  be  Friendly  Indians— Presence  of  the  Mormon 
Battalion  prevents  an  Intended  Attempt  by  Mexicans  to  Retake  Cali- 
fornia, also  an  Uprising  of  Callfornians  Against  the  United  states — On  a 
Battlefield  where  General  Kearney  had  Fought-  Relics  of  the  Encounter 
—Prophecy  of  President  Brlgham  You  n  if  and  its  Fulfillment— Source  of 
His  Inspiration 65 

CHARTER  XI. 

<  ordered  to  San  Diego— First  View  of  the  Pacific  Ocean— Rumors  of  the  Ene- 
my—Complimentary Order,  by  Lieut,  col.  Cooke,  on  the  Achievements 
of  the  Mormon  Battalion— Reported  Hostility  of  Col.  Fremont  to  Gen. 
Kearney— Living  on  Beef  Atom — obtain  some  Flour— Routine  of  the 
Camp-<  tattered  to  Los  Angeles— Damage  by  an  Karthquake— Wild  Horses 
and  Cattle  Driven  Into  the  Sea— Arrival  at  Los  Angeles— Rumors  of  an 
Attack— Constructing  a  Fort— Guarding Cajon  Pass— Surrounded  by  wild 
Cattle— Take  Kefuge  In  a  Ravine— Col.  Fremont  Arrested— Site  of  San 
Bernardino— Getting  out  a  Liberty  Pole— Brush  with  the  Indians— Clear- 
ing  lx)s  Angeles  of  Dogs— Wickedness  in  the  Town— Brutality  of  bull 
Fights,  Horse  Racing,  etc.— Always  Beady  for  an  Attack— First  Raising 
of  the  star-  and  Stripes  on  a  Liberty  Pole  in  California 75 

CHAPTER   MI. 

Term  of  Enlistment  Expires— Battalion  Members  Preparing  to  Return  to 
their  Families— One  company  Re-enllsts— An  Insolent  Spaniard— Pistol 
snapped  in  tin-  Writer's  Fact — almost  a  Deathblow— Desperate  Fight 
Stopped  by  Bystanders— Serious  Trouble  with  Another  Spaniard— Learn 
the  Lesson  to  Avoid  those  who  Gamble  or  Drink  Intoxicants— Spanish 
Character— Class  of  California's  Inhabitants  in  1847— Condition  of  the 
Country— Appearance  of  the  Town-  and  Villages— Difficulty  hi  Securing 
an  Outfit  for  Members  of  the  Battalion  to  Journey  Eastward 86 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Mormon  Battalion  Mustered  out  of  Service-One  Hundred  and  Fiftv  Mem- 
bers Organize  to  Return  Fast  to  the  Rocky  Mountains— Start  on  the 
.Journey  -Difficulties  of  the  Eoute— Dealing  with  Wild  Horses  and  Cattle 
Stampede  of  a  Pack  Animal  -Chase  Into  an  Indian  Camp -Lost  All 
Night  in  a  Swamp— Suffering  on  the  Desert  for  Lack  of  Water-Arrive 
Near  -utter's  Fort-On  the  Site  of  Sacramento  Party  Decide  to  Remain 
Over  for  the  Year,  and  Obtain  Employment -Meet  captain  .1.  A.  Sutter 
and  James  W.  Marshall -Proposition  to  (apt.  Sutter— Engaged  to  Work 
on  a  8awmiD— Proceedings  at  the  Millsite— Mill  Started  Dp  The  Writer 
Engaged  to  Direct  Indian-  laboring  at  the  Tail  Race  Conversation  with 
Mr.  Marshall— Marshall  Talks  About  Finding  Gold— He  and  the  Writer 
make  a  Search  for  Gold,  but  Finding  None.  Defer  the  Investigation  till 
Next  Morning— Marshall's  Faith  in  his  Being  Successful  In  Discovering 
the  Precious  .Metal 91 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Arrival  of  the  Members  of  Mormon  Battalion  at  Sutter's  Fort  Opens  the  Way 
for  the  Discovery  of  Gold  In  California— James  W.  Marshall  out  Early  on 


VIII  CONTENTS. 

January  24,  lsts— "He  is  Going  to  Find  a  Gold  Mine"— Regarded  as  a  "No- 
tional" Man— "Boys,  I  have  got  Her  Now!"— Testing  the  Scales  ol  Metal 
—"Gold,  Boys,  Gold !"—  First  Proclamation  o'f  the  Great  Gold  Discovery 
— Second  and  Third  Tests— All  Excitement— Three  or  Four  Ounces  of 
Gold  Gathered— Agree  to  Keep  the  Discovery  Secret— Find  the  Precious 
Metal  Farther  Down  the  stream— How  the  Secret  Leaked  out— More  Dis- 
coveries—First  Publication  of  the  News  made  in  a  Mormon  Paper — 
Washing  out  the  Metal— First  Gold  Rocker— Gathering  Gold— Part  taken 
by  Mr.  Marshall, the  Mormons  and  uapt.  Sutter  In  the  Discovery— Mis- 
fortunes of  Sutter  and  Marshall— Account  of  the  Gold  Discovery  Certified 
to  by  Several  Eye  Witnesses 98 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Prepare  to  Leave  California — Snow  in  the  Mountains  Causes  a  Wait  till  the 
Last  of  June— Discover  a  Rich  Gold  Prospect— Leave  it  to  Make  the 
Journey  over  tin- Mountains— No  Regrets  at  Abandoning  the  Mines  in 
Answer  to  a  Call  of  Duty — Camp  Organized  in  Pleasant  Valley— Start  on 
the  Trip— Three  Members  of  the  Party  Ahead,  Looking  out  the  Route, 
Found  Murdered  by  Indians  at  Tragedy  Springs— Covering  the  Bodies — 
Stampede  of  Animals— Guarding  Against  Hostile  Indians— Crossing  the 
Divide  in  Snow — The  Writer  Fooled— Take  Two  Indians  Prisoners — Cut- 
ting a  Road — Horses  Stolen  by  Indians — Pursuit  to  Capture  them — In 
Carson  Valley— Along  Humboldt  River— At  Steamboat  Springs — Over  the 
Desert— Member  of  the  Party  Wants  to  Kill  Indians— The  Writer's  Em- 
phatic Objection— Indians  Wound  Stock— Addison  Pratt  as  a  Lucky  Fish- 
erman—Writer  Trades  with  an  Indian — The  Red  Man's  Trick— Writer 
Pursues  him  into  the  Indian  Camp— Escape  from  Danger— .Journey  to 
Bear  River— Hot  and  Cold  Water  Springs— Reach  Box  Elder— View  the 
Great  salt  Lake  Arrive  at  Ogden,  where  Captain  Brown  and  some 
Saints  had  settled — tourney  to  the  Mormon  Camp  on  what  is  now  Pio- 
neer Square,  Salt  Lake  City— Heartily  Welcomed  by  Relatives  and 
Friends— Rejoicing  and  Thanksgiving 107 

CHATER  XVI. 

Contentment  Among  the  Saints  in  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley— Rude  Dwellings 
and  Short  Rations— Trying  Experiences— Rescue  of  Mormon  Battalion 
Members  from  Starvation— Carry  News  of  California  Gold  Discovery  to 
the  East— Re-union  of  Mormon  Battalion  Members— Addresses  by  tin- 
First  Presidency  and  Others— Settling  a  New  Country— Organization  of 
Minute  Men— <  old  Winter— The  Gold  Fever— Tenor  of  the  Preaching  and 
Prophesyings  of  those  Times— Instructing  the  People  in  Industrial  Pur- 
suits—Policy Towards  the  Indians 117 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Scarcity  of  Food  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley— Wild  Vegetables  for  Greens 
—Fair  Prospects  for  Crops— Clouds  of  Crickets  lay  Bare  the  Fields— Peo- 
ple struggle  Against  the  Pests  Almost  to  Despair— Vast  Flocks  of  Sea 
Gulls,  as  the  Clouds  of  Heaven,  Come  to  the  Rescue— Destruction  of  the 
Crickets— People  Praise  the  Lord— The  Writer  Invited  to  a  Meeting,  Or- 
dained a  Seventy,  and  Called  with  Others  to  go  on  a  Mission  to  the  Soci- 
ety Islands— Words  of  Presidents  Brigham  YbungandHeber  C.  Kimball 
—Preparations  to  Travel  to  California  with  an  Emigrant  Company— De- 
scription of  the  Route  by  Captain  Jefferson  Hunt  -Start  on  My  Mission- 
Prophecy  by  President  Willard  Richards -Battle  with  Indians  at  Provo 
Averted  by  Apostle  c.  c.  Rich— Prospects  of  ctah  VaUeyto  Support  Pop- 
ulation—Overtake the  Emigrant  Company— Discussions  at  Reaver  River 
—Company  Starts  for  Walker's  Pass— Turned  Back  by  Scarcity  of  Water- 
Experience  on  the  Desert— Dissensions  in  the  Company— Futile  At- 
tempt to  send  some  of  the  Members  Back — Apostle  C.  C.  Rich  Foresees 
Further  Trouble,  and  Endeavors  to  Save  the  Mormon  Part  of  the  Train 
by  Advising  Them  to  Return  to  the  Old  Spanish  Trail— Methodist  and 
Camp  belli  te  Ministers  Incite  the  Company  Against  their  Mormon  Guide. 
Captain  Hunt— Main  Company  Disregards  Captain  Hunt's  Warning  of 
Danger,  and  Leaves  the  Old  Spanish  Trail  to  Search  for  the  Route 
Through  Walker's  Pass  — Mormons  go  with  Captain  Hunt  on  the 
Southern  Route 1'27 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Caught  in  a  Snowstorm— Via  the  Santa  Clara  and  Rio  Virgen  to  the  Muddy 
—News  of  Sad  Disaster  to  the  Emigrant  Company— Making  Charcoal  and 


CONTENTS.  IX 


Nails— An  Apostle  as  a  Blacksmith— Searching  for  Water  on  the  Desert— 
Crossing  an  Alkali  Stream-  Discover  Gold  near  salt  springs— Hurrying 
on  over  the  Desert— Cattle  Poisoned  at  ititter  Springs— Billing  Animals 
to  Relieve  their  Sufferings— First  Wagon  over  <  ajon  I'ass,  going  West- 
Severe  Journey  to  the  Summit  of  the  Pass— All  get  Over  safely— Sense  of 
Great  Belief— Grass  and  water  In  Abundance— Overtaken  by  survivors 
of  the  Emigrant  Company— Their  Story  of  Terrible  suffering—  Divide 
Provision-  with  Them  —  Celebrating  Christmas,  1849— Continuing  the 
Journey  North— Spanish  Warning  in  a  Cemetery  to  Indians— <  rueltyof 
the  Spaniards  to  the  Indians— The  Writer  Placed  In  Charge  of  the  Com- 
pany—Directed to  go  to  the  Cold  Mines 1HT 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Journeying  Toward  the  Gold  Diggings— Threatened  by  Wild  Horses— Diffi- 
culties of  Traveling— Convocation  of  the  Feathered  creation— Rejoin 
Our  Friends— Ferrying  Aero--  a  River— Strike  a  Cold  Prospect— On  a 
Prospecting  Tour— An  Agreement  that  Failed— Instructed  to  ko  to  San 

Francisco  to  proceed  on  a  Mission— Trip  to  Stockton— Gamblers,  Sharp- 
ers and  Miners  at  that  Place— A  Temptation  Overcome— Arrive  in  San 
Francisco— Welcomed  by  Saints— Receive  Kind  Treat  ment-  -On  Hoard  a 
\ 1  Mound  tor  Tahiti 14 


CHAPTER    \\.  O^ 

Sailing  for  the  South  Pacific— 8evere  Attack  of  Seasickness— Becalmed  in 
the  Tropics  -Intense  Heat— Marquesas  Islands— Cannibals— Reach  Tahiti 

—  Land  at  Papeete  — \ieet  with  Friends— Hearty  Welcome— Preaching  to 
the  Natives— Animosity  of  Protestants  and  catholics  Toward  the  Mor- 
mons—Jealousy  of  French  Government  Officials  on  the  island— Watched 
by  Detect  Ives— six  Natives  Baptized— Learning  the  Language— Rumors 
of  an  Intention  to  Expel  the  Mormons— Elders  B.  F.  Grouard  and  T. 
Whltaker  Arrested— Appeal  for  Aid— Their  Belease  and  Return  to 
their  Missionary  Labors— Meel  with  Brother  Pratt  Again— Interview 
with  the  Governor— That  official  Refuses  Elders  Pratt  and  Brown  Per- 
mission to  \  i-p  Another  Island— scarcity  of  Food  at  Huaua— Eating 
beasnalls  and  Bugs— 8trange  Dishes  of  Food  -Almost  Perish  from  Thirst 

-  Visit  to  Tiarara— Acquiring  the  Language 152 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Offer  of  Transportation  to  the  Island  of  Tubuol— Apply  t<>  the  Governor 
for  Permission  to  go— Troops  on  Parade— Suite  of  Queen  Pomer< — Call 
on  the  Governor— Conversation  in  Three  Languages— Directed  to 
Come  Again  Next  Day— Put  off  by  the  Governor— Latter  Refuses  the 
Permission  Asked— His  Prejudice  Agalnsl  the  Mormon — Demands  a 
statement  of  Their  Doctrines— Nol  Bequired of  Other  Denominations- 
Writer's  Interview  with  the  Governor— Return  to  Iluana— other  Elders 
Requested  to  Assemble  then  —  Bitterness  of  Protestant  Ministers— Na- 
tives comment  on  Mormons  Learning  Their  Language  Quickly 161 

CHAPTEB   XXII. 

Visit  to  Papeete — Duck-Hunting  Trip— A  Peculiar  Woman— Along  a  Perilous 
Path— An  Opinion  of  English  Ministers— Arrival  of  s.  A.  Dunn— Learn 
of  .More  Missionaries  Arriving  at  Tubuol— News  from  my  Father  and 
Others— Letters  from  the  First  Presidency  and  some  of  the  Apostles- 
Written  Statement  Sent  to  the  Governor  of  Tahiti— Visit  the  Governor— 
Our  Statement  Rejected— Lisl  of  Questions  and  statement  Presented  by 
the  Governor—  Reply  of  Elder  a.  Pratt— Objections  by  the  Governor  - 
Permission  given  us  to  Travel  and  Preach  on  the  Islands 166 

CHAPTER    Will. 

Return  to  Huahua— Heavy  Rainstorms— Refusal  of  an  Offer  to  be  carried 
Over  a  Stream — Perilous  8wimmlng  Feat— Episode  with  a  wild  Boar— 
Start  on  a  Trip  Around  the  Island— Obtain  a  Loaf  of  Bread— People  not 
Desirous  of  Listening  to  the  Mormon  Elders— Customs  of  the  Natives- 
Reputation  of  Protestant  Clergy  on  Tahiti— With  the  Chief  Magistrate  of 
Dairai— Across  a  small  Bay  in  a  canoe— French  Garrison  at  the  Isthmus 
—With  my  Friend  Pohe— Review  of  a  Hard  Journey— Again  at  Huaua —  17.", 

CHAPTEB  XXIV. 

Scarcity  of  Food— J Traveling  In  Heavy  Rains— Call  on  a  Protestant  Minister- 
Arrival  of  Another  Missionary  and  Letters  from  Home— Visitors  from 


X  CONTENTS. 

Met ia— Hold  a  sacrament  Meet  Ing—  Co  to  Papara— Abused  by  the  Protes- 
tanl  Minister— Preach  to  the  People— Young  Woman  Miraculously 
Healed  at  Baptism— Greal  Excitement— Rage  of  the  Protestanl  .■Ministers 
— Persecul  Ion  Ensl  Ituted— Arrested  for  Preaching— Released  on  Promis- 
ing to  Return  to  Buaua— Plenty  of  Friends— Unintentional  Escape  from 
(iei>  d'  Amies— Airi  \  a  I  at  Papeete — < iharge  on  which  Officers  seek  to  Ar- 
resl  i ne—  Abused  by  Rev. Mr.  Howe— A  Quiel  Answer <  alls  out  cheers  from 
the  crowd— Tide  Turns  in  my  Fa vor-  Incitement  Calms  Down,  and 
Efforts  to  Arrest  Me  Cease 183 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Several  Baptisms— Visit  Papara  Again— Coldness  of  the  People— Bitter 
Effortsof  the  Protestant  Ministers— Natives  Visit  Me  In  Secret— Anti- 
Mormon  Mass  Meeting— Foolish  and  Vicious  scheme  to  Ensnare  the 
Writer— it  is  Easily  Defeated— Return  to  Papeete — More  Baptisms— De- 
parture of  Elder  Dunn— I  am  left  Alone— Brethren  come  from  Tubuol— 
Elders  App  tinted  to  Labor  in  Different  Islands— The  writer  Assigned  to 
the  Tuamotu  Group — Leave  on  the  Elders'  schooner  the  Ravai  ox  Fisher 
—Meet  with  Contrary  winds  — Driven  to  Various  Islands— Encounter  a 
Violent  storm— In  Great  Peril— Vessel  Beyond  control— Storm  calms 
Down— Reach  Tubuol— First  Preaching  of  the  Gospel  there,  in  lstl 193 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Bearty  Welcome  in  Tubuol— Start  for  Tuamotu— Reach  Papeete,  Tahiti- 
Visit  to  Huaua— Leave  Tahiti— Writer  gets  Relief  from  Seasickness  — 

B  roiled  Fish  and  Cocoa  nuts— in  a  School  of  Whales— Thrown  onto  a  Cor- 
al Reef — Total  Wreck  Dnminent — Three  Persons  yet  Ashor<  —  Boat  goes 
out  to  Sea— Wreck  of  Elder  Dunn's  Party— Three  Days  In  the  sea.  Cling- 
ing to  a  Capsized  Boat— Clothing  Torn  off  by  sharks— skin  Taken  off  by 
the  sea  and  Sun— Reach  the  Island  of  Anaa— Recognized  by  a  Man  who 
had  seen  me  in  a  Dream— Preaching  and  Baptizing— Many  of  the  Natives 
Church  Members— Make  a  Rude  Mapof  the  California  Gold  Fields— Tell 
of  Havingbeen  in  the  Mormon  Battalion— Catholic  Priests  Elicit  this  In- 
formation as  Part  of  a  Scheme  to  have  me  Expelled  from  the  Island 201 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Invited  to  Organize  Schools— Catholic  Priests  Displeased  at  Mormon  Success 
—Good  Attendance  at  the  Schools— Threats  by  the  Priests— Discomfiture 
of  the  Latter— Feast  and  Address  of  Welcome  by  the  Natives  to  the 
Writer— Preaching  and  Baptisms— Catholic  Priests  seize  a  Schoolhouse 
Belonging  to  the  Saints— Disturb  a  saints'  Meeting— More  Baptisms- 
Further  Annoyance  by  Catholics— People  Decide  Against  Them— Town 
Officials  Appealed  to— They  Uphold  the  Decision  in  Favor  of  the  Mor- 
mons—Priests Write  to  Governor  Bonard,  Making  False  Charges  Against 
me— A  Peculiar  Dream 20(5 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Goto  Temaraia— Miraculous  Healings— Child  Assailed  by  an  Fvil  Spirit- 
Strange  Occurrence— (rift  of  sea  Biscuits— Perform  a  Surgical  Opera- 
tion—Hammering  out  Teeth— The  Writer  as  a  Surgeon  and  Dentist— 
Roughs  Disturbs  Meeting— They  are  srricken  with  Death— Fatal  Sick- 
ness among  the  People  —  Lower  (kisses  of  Natives  at  a  Feast— Their  Rev- 
erence  for  Religious  services  and  Preachers— Two  Parties  of  Nat  Ives  in 
Battle  Array— Fighting  Averted  by  the  Writer  Addressing  the  Contend- 
ing Faction's  in  Favor  of  Peace— Wars  among  the  Natives— Some  of  their 
Practices— Gathering  and  Keeping  Human  Heads— causes  of  Cannibal- 
ism—Conversation with  one  who  bad  been  a  <  lannibal— Flavor  of  Native 
and  White  Men's  Flesh  Compared— The  Tastiest  Tart  of  the  Human 
Body 214 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Hold  Conference  in  Putuhara— Instructions  to  the  saints— Go  to  Otapipi— 
Opposition  at  Temaraia— Officials  Bribed  by  Catholic  Priests— Arrival  of 
a  French  Warship— The  Writer  is  Arrested  while  Expounding  the  Scrip- 
tures to  the  Natives  Cause  of  Arresl  is  False  Accusation  by  catholic 
Priests  1  PleadNol  Gu|Uy—  Ordered  Taken  to  Tahiti— Painful  Prison 
Experience— Cannibals  in  t  lustody— Start  for  the  Ship— Sympathy  of  the 


CONTENTS.  XI 

Natives— Hurried  Into  the  Ship's  Boat— In  a  School  of  Whales— .A  Fright- 
ened   Boat   Load— On  Board  the  Warship— Uncomfortable  Quart) 
Questionable  French  Courtesy— Among  Cockroaches,  Filth,  and  Incon- 
veniences—Soft side  of  a  Plank  for  a  Bed 223 

CHAPTER   XXX. 

Voyage  to  Papeete— In  a  Tahltian  Dungeon— Cruel  Treatment— Write  to 
Friends— Kindness  of  the  American  Hotel  Keeper— Brought  Before  the 
Governor— False  Charges  Read,  and  Plea  of  Not  Guilty  Entered— Per- 
.  jured  Testimony  Against  m< — Forbidden  to  Look  at.  oreven  Cross-Ex- 
amine Witnesses— Secrecy  of  the  Alleged  Trial— Demand  My  Rights  as 
an  American  Citizen — ( 'on  fusion  or'  the  Governor— Returned  to  Mj  Cell- 
American  Consul  takes  up  my  Case— Gives  Bonds  that  l  will  Leave  the 
Protectorate— Elders  and  Friends  Call  on  me— My  Visitors  Allowed  to 
Say  luit  Little,  and  Sometimes  Excluded— Decision  of  the  Governor  that 
[must  Leave  the  Society  Islands— Fair  Trial  Refused  me— Letter  from 
the  American  Consul— Taken  to  the  Consul's  Office— Advised  to  Leave- 
Elders  Decide  that  I  should  go  <  hitslde  of  the  French  Protectorate — Bet 
sail  from  Papeete 231 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Leaving  Tahiti  under  the  Order  of  Banishment— Supply  of  Provisions  Ex- 
hausted—Caught in  a  Calm— Suffering  from  hack  of  Food— Reach  Tubuoi 
—Go  Ashore  upon  invitation  of  the  Queen— Sail  for  Ralvavai — Meet  Elder 
Pratt  'I  hei«-  Lett  Alone  on  the  Island— Savage  Character  of  the  Natives 
—The  Governor  a  Friend— Visit  fromHouseto  House— People  Generally 
Unwilling  to  Receive  the  Gospel— Council  Decides  that  I  must  Leave  the 
Island  or  be  Killed— A  Time  of  Excitement— Storm  Passes  fora  while- 
Baptize  Twenty  Persons— Noted  Chief  and  the  Heiress  to  the  Throne 
.loin  the  church  More  Blttenn  ss  and  Excitement— Two  Parties  of  Na- 
tives Meet  to  Engage  in  Baltle— Manage  to  Reconcile  Them  ami  Prevent 
Bloodshed— Further  Threats  Against  the  Mormons— Some  Church  Mem- 
bers feel  to  Retaliate  but  are  Restrained— Passengers  Arrive  with  False 
ami  Scandalous  Stories  About  the  Mormons— Persecution  Inereas 
The  Few  Saints  on  the  island  Become  Sorrowful  and  Discouraged— Prot- 
estant Ministers  Advise  Expulsion  of  the  8alnts  -Renewal  of  the  Faith 
ami  Zeal  of  the  <  hurch  Members 238 

CHAPTER  WXII. 

People  Gather  at  a  Feast,  and  to  Decide  what  to  do  with  the  Mormons- 
Threats  to  have  Roast  Missionary— Saints  hold  Prayer  and  Testimony 
Meeting— Kept  Awake  all  Night-  Council  of  Natives  Decides  to  Roast  and 
Ea1  me— Fire  i-  Built— Men  Sent  to  Drag  me  to  the  Council— Promises  of 
Presidents  Brigham  Young  and  Willard  Richards  <  tome  to  my  .Mind— All 
Fear  Is  Banished— Saints  and  Their  Enemies  Ordered  to  Separate  All 
but  Two  Mormons  Stand  by  me  Sublime  Courage  of  a  Native  and  His 
Wife— The  Charge  Against  Me -1  Appeal  to  the  Bible,  but  our  Enemies 
Refuse  to  be  Guided  by  the  Law  of  God  -Notified  of  the  Decision  that  lam 
to  be  Burned— Spirit  of  the  Lord  Rests  up<  m  me  In  Great  Power,  Losplr- 
Ing  me  to  Defy  our  Enemies— Spirit  of  Confusion  Enters  our  Foes— They 
Quarrel  and  Fight  With  Each  Other  Difficulty  In  Restraining  Church 
Members— Deliverance  which  the  Lord  Wrought oul  for  me— I  am  Allowed 
to  proceed  Unmolested— Meet  a  Member  of  the  Council  which  Con- 
demned me  to  Death— His  Testimony  that  a  Pillar  of  Li.Lrhf  Descended 
from  Heaven  and  Rested  on  me,  Filling  them  with  Fear-No  more  Anti- 
Mormon  Councils  -Natives  show  no  Disposition  to  Receive  the  Gospel 24.", 

•  HALT LB    XXXIII. 

Longtime  without  News  from  Home— Letter  from  Elder  B.  F.  Grouard— Re- 
leased from  my  Missionary  Labors  in  the  islands— Little  Opportunity  to 
Leave  Ralvavai— Natives  Build  a  Schooner— Fast  and  Pray  to  Learn 
whether  I  should  sail  on  the  Vessel— The  Answer— Sal]  tor  Rapia— 
Driven  Back  to  Ralvavai— Make  a  New  Start— Arrive  at  Rapia— Ridicu- 
lous Idea  of  the  People  ( toncerning  a  .Mormon  Elder— I  am  Forbidden  to 
go  Ashore,  on  Pain  of  Death— Feeling  is  Modified  somewhat,  and  I  go 
Ashore -Battle  Between  the  Natives— An  Old  Man  Gives  me  Food— At- 
tend  a  Meeting,  yet  Bermission  to  Speak  a  Few  Words  and  am  ordered 
from  the  Island-  Increase  of  Sentiment  of  Toleration— Invited  to  Supper 


XII  CONTENTS. 

at  the  Governor's— Strange  Custom  of  Women  Watting  on  Men— Bather 

than  Follow  it,  I  Submit  to  being  Called  a  Heathen 252 

CHAPTKB    W\l\. 

Determine  to  Preach  to  the  People— Refused  a  House— Hold  an  Open-Air 
Meeting— Strange  Congregation— Six  other  Meetings— Visit  a  Native 
King— He  Commands  me  to  Leave  [  do  so  In  Order  to  Avoid  Being  Put 
to  Death— Watermelons  and  Other  Vegetables— Native  Tradition  of  the 
Peopling  of  the  Islands— Visit  of  a  Protestanl  Minister- Sail  for  Tahiti— 
in  a  Heavy  Storm— Prayers  by  Frightened  Natives—]  am  Asked  to  Pray 
with  them,  hut  Decline  to  Follow  their  Methods  Reach  the  Harbor  of 
Papeete  American  Consul  Obtains  Permission  for  me  to  Land—  60  to 
Work  with  a  Carpenter— Warned  not  to  be  Alone  lest  1  should  be  Killed 
Watched  byGend'  Armes— Trouble  at  Anaa,  and  Arrest  of  Native 
Mormons— These  are  Brought  to  Papeete  How  they  got  Letters  to  me. 
and  their  Beplles— My  Former  Persecutors  of  BaivavaJ  Come  to  Me  for 
Advice,  and  I  Return  Good  for  Evil 260 

CHAPTEB    XXXV. 

Watched  Closely  by  Gen  d'  Armes— Experience  when  at  Prayer— Take  Din- 
ner with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Howe— Dining  with  a  Catholic  Bishop  Impatience 
of  the  Governor— Leave  Tahiti  on  the  A byssinia—  Curiosity  of  Passengers 
and  Sailors— Difficulty  in  Getting  out  of  the  Harbor— Hear  of  More 
Trouble  at  Anaa— Captain's  comment  on  Mormon  Books— a  Waterspout 
—Crossing  the  Equator— Encounter  a  Terrible  storm— A  Tidal  Wave- 
Ship  Springs  a  Leak —Panic  on  Board— AH  Hands  to  the  Pumps— Stop- 
ping a  Leak-Fair  Weather  Again 267 

CHAPTEB    XXXVI. 

Arrive  at  San  Francisco— A  Wrecked  Ship— The  Abyssinia  Condemned— 
Gathering  Wreckage— Drunken  sailors— My  Trunk  Held  for  Hospital 
Fees— Go  Ashore,  \\  here  all  Is  Changed  and  Strange— My  Dilapidated  Ap- 
pearand— seek  Guidance  of  the  Lord— Wander  Almost  in  Despair- 
Meet  an  Old  Friend— Find  a  Home— My  Trunk  Released— Meet  Elders  Go- 
lngon  Missions-Well  Treated  by  Saint<  and  Strangers— Providences  of 
the  Ford— Outward  Bound  Elders  Entrusted  Money  to  me  for  their 
Families— Engage  to  Carry  Mall  to  Los  Angeles— On  a  Steamer  for  San 
Pedro— Taken  Severely  111 272 

CHAPTEK  XXXVII. 

Become  Desperatelv  111— Nursed  Pack  to  ( 'onsciousness— Kindness  of  an 
Aged  Spanish  Coupl< — belt  with  Money  Entrusted  to  me  Disappears— 
Intense  Anxiety— Discover  the  Money— Great  Suffering— Land  at  San 
Pedro— Left  on  the  Beach— Drag  Myself  to  the  Shelter  of  an  Old  Wall- 
Kindness  of  a  Spaniard  and  His  Wife-  A  Terrible  Night— Seek  a  Passage  to 
Los  Angeles  with  Freighters— Befusals— Meet  a  Kind  Teamster— Peach 
Los  Angeles— Dumped  on  the  Street  -Find  shelter,  but  a  Chilly  Welcome 
—start  Next  Morning,  Sick  and  Hungry,  to  Find  a  New  Place— So  111  I 
have  to  Pie  Down  in  the  Street— Two  Friends  from  San  Bernardino— Am 
Told  that  I  have  the  Smallpox— My  Friends  Give  me  Money  and  start  in 
Search  of  a  House  where  I  can  be  Cared  for— Failing  to  Secure  a  Room. 
they  Engage  the  City  Marshal  to  geta  Place,  and  they  Leave  for  San 
Bernardino— 1  wander  for  Shelter,  but  Door-  are  Closed,  and  People 
Avoid  me— Lod^e  in  a  Doctor's  Office  while  the  Doctor  is  out— Scare  the 
People  by  Shouting  "Smallpox!"— The  Doctor  Returns  but  Leaves  me  in 
Possession '-'77 

CHAPTER  A: XXVIII. 

City  Marshal  and  Doctor  Come  to  Bemove  me— Taken  to  a  Deserted  House, 
■which  had  been  [Tsed  as  a  Sheepf old— Bedded  In  Sheep  Manure— An  In- 
dian Nurse  who  Becomes  Frightened— Spanish  Nurse  Sent  to  me— Li  a 
boat  with  Patient  Job— My  Fever  Increases  -Attacked  by  Robbers-Re- 
lieved by  City  Marsha]  with  Posse— Marshal  take-  the  Money  1  have  in  my 
care,  for  safe  Keeping— Spanish  Nurse  Scared  off— Queer  Sailor  Nurse- 
He  Drinks  Whisky,  Sings  and  Dances  -His  Thoughtful  (are  of  me— Visit- 
ed b\  my  Cousin— Kindness  of  San  Bernardino  saints— Recovering  from 
my  Illness— My  Clothing  Burned— Heavy  Expense  Rill  Against  me -Tell 
the  City  Marshal  of  my  Arrival  in  California  as  a  United  States  Soldier  in 


CONTENTS.  XIII 

the  Mexican  War— Kindness  of  the  Marshal  — Los  Angeles  Assumes 
the  Bill  for  Medical  Attention  Given  me— Start  for  San  Bernardino— Ex- 
hausted on  the  Journey— Almost  Die  of  Thirst— Relieved  by  a  Party  of 
Spanish  Ladles— Kindness  of  Spanish  Families— Arrive  at  San  Bernardi- 
no and  Meet  Friends  and  Relatives 2S2 

CHAPTER   XXXIX. 

Report  my  Mission— Prepare  to  Continue  the  Journey  to  Utah— Have  to 
Remain  at  San  Bernardino  for  a  Time— Sickness  among  the  I 'eople— In- 
stances of  Healing  by  Administration— Engage  to  Travel  with  a  Pack 
Train  to  salt  Lake  City— Get  a  "Bucking  Mule"—  Start  on  the  Journey  - 
In  a  Hostile  Indian  Country— Signs  of  Danger— Prepare  for  Trouble- 
sudden  Appearance  of  an  Indian— our  Party  Want  to  shoot- 1  Protest, 
and  make  Friends  with  the  Indian  — Other  Red  Men  Appear-Difflculty 
of  Restraining  our  Party— I  converse  with  the  Indians,  who  tell  of  a 
(amp  of  Mormons  and  Mexicans  a  short  Distance  Ahead— How  I 
Understood  the  Indians  -  Discover  the  Camp  Spoken  of — Rest  a  Day 
—Move  Toward  tlie  Santa  Clara— Danger  Ahead— A  Fire  Across  our 
Path— We  Dash  Through  It— Hostile  Indians— Ail  Exciting  chase— Meet 
Apostles  A.  If.  Lyman  and  C.  C.  Rich-  Arrive  at  Cedar  City— Stop  at 
Parowan-  Journey  North,  Preaching  en  Route— Beach  *alt  Lake  City 
Settle  with  the  People  for  whom  I  have  Money— Report  to  President 
Young— Preach  In  the  Tabernacle— Released  from  my  Mission— Cost  of 
my  Mission  to  the  Society  Islands 291 

CHAPTER  XL. 

Travel  on  Foot  to  Ogden— Well  Received  by  Relatives  and  Friends— Reply 
to  Inquiries  by  the  People  Regarding  the  Society  Islands  and  the  Inhab- 
itants Thereof— Called  to  go  to  rort  Ball  order  Countermanded— 
•  ailed  on  a  Mission  to  the  Indian-  Design  of  the  Mission— organization 
of  the  Company,  and  Start  from  Salt  Lake  City  Hard  Work  of  the  Jour- 
ney— Attacked  by  Wolves— Fatal  Duel  at  Port  Bridget-— Plans  of  Desper- 
adoes -We  -ro  to  Smith's  Folk— Build  a  Blockhouse— Arrival  of  more 
Men  and  Supplies— Threatening  attitude  of  the  Indians— Writer  made 
Sergeant  of  the  Guard  and  Quartermaster— Instructions  from  Elder 
Orson  Hyde— Life  in  our  new  camp — (old  Weather  and  Wild  Beasts — 
Learning  the  Indian  Language— Give  shelter  to  Indians— Desperado 
Chief  Killed  by  one  of  his  Men — Animals  Perish  from  Cold  and  starva- 
tion—Terrific  Storms  and  Bnowdrlfts —Saving  our  >tock— Shoshone  In- 
dians Ask  for  and  Receive  Assistance— Hunt  tor  Antelope  Fails— A  Bach- 
elor's Dance — Raising  a  Liberty  Pole— Partitioning  out  Lands — Plowing 
and  Planting  Arrival  of  and  Instructions  by  Elder  Orson  Hyde— selec- 
tions for  a  Special  Mission  to  the  Indians— Organization  of  Green  River 
<  ounty 300 

CHAPTER  XLL 

Sel  Apart  by  Elder  Hyde  for  our  special  Mission—  Messing  Conferred  on  the 
Writer— Discontent  In  Camp— Unity  Again  Prevails — itart  on  our  Jour- 
ney-Warned  at  dreeii  River  to  go  no  Farther — Not  Deterred  from  Per- 
forming our  Mission —  Proceed  on  our  Journey— Eutile  Chase  after  Buf- 
falo— scarcitv  of  Water— A  Welcome  snow  storm— Reach  the  Camp  of 
Washakie,  the  Shoshone  Chief— Received  witb  Caution— Tell  the  Chief 
the  Object  of  our  Visit — (rive  him  Bread  and  Sugar— Boiled  Buffalo  for  an 
Epicure  [ndlan  Powwow  Called— Proceedings  at  the  Council— Objec- 
tion to  one  of  our  Propositions,  which  we  were  not  Annoyed  at— Recit- 
al of  how  Government  Agents  sought  to  Supplant  Washakie  as  Chief — 
Washakie  a  Great  Orator 313 

CHAPTER  XLII. 

Leave  Washakie's  Camp  for  the  Other  Portion  of  the  Shoshone  Tribe— In- 
dian Guide  Leaves  us— Following  a  Trail— Sight  the  Other  Camp— War 
Songs  and  Dances— Indians  Preparing  for  War— Chief  Gives  up  his 
Lodge  to  us.  Warning  us  of  Men  in  his  Camp  he  Cannot  Control — Indian 
Braves  in  War  Paint-  surrounded  bv  Fifteen  Hundred  or  Two  Thousand 
Indians— Learn  that  L.  B.  Ryan,  a  \Yrhite  Desperado  Chief,  is  in  Camp, 
and  has  sworn  Vengeance  on  Mormons  Escape  seems  Impossible,  but 
we  Trust  in  God — Retire  for  the  Night— Ryan  and  Seven  Warriors  at  our 
Lodge— Ryan  Enters  and  Demands  to  know  where  we  are  from,  and 
our  Business— He  is  Told,  Threatens  us,  and  Summons  his  Indian  Braves 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

Inside  our  Lodg< — Though  the  Enemy  are  two  to  one.  we  arc  Ready 
for  them— Prepare  for  a  Fight  to  the  Death— Ryan  and  his  Men  Leave 
tiic  Lodge  War  Dance  Outside  We  Conclude  to  !*el]  our  Lives  as  Dearly 
as  Possible — War  Party  Approach  the  Lodge  and  8111  it  In  a  Number  of 
Places,  then  suddenly  Depart  Our  Lives  being  Spared,  we  Remain  in 
Camp  till  Next  Day— The  chief  Befriends  us,  Warning  us  not  to  Re- 
turn the  way  we  Cam»  —  Dispute  as  to  the  Route  of  Travel,  and  how  it  is 
Settled— Satisfied  that  Ryan  intended  to  Ambush  us— Rainstorm  Obliter- 
ates our  Tracks— Camp  in  the  Rain— On  the  Alert  for  an  Enemy  Shoot 
a  Buffalo  ward  and  Davis  give  <  'base,  while  Bullock  and  I  continue  on 
our  Route— Camp  at  a  ash  Bullock  Taken  very  HI— A  Terrible  Night— 
Ward  and  Davis  not  Returning  by  Morning,  we  Move  on— Fear  that 
Bullock  will  Die— Discover  our  Comrades  in  the  Canyon— Being  Hungry, 
we  Overeat— Another  Night  of  Sickness— Emerge  from  tin-  Canyon- 
Press  Forward  to  Green  River— Welcomed  by  Friends— Three  of  our 
Party  go  on  to  Fort  Supply,  and  I  Remain  to  meet  Chief  Washakie 320 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 

Engaged  as  interpreter -Class  of  People  at  (ireen  River  —  Appointed 
Deputy  Sheriff— Drover  Threatens  to  Kill  Boatmen  Arrest  Ordered— 
Ride  into  the  outlaws'  Camp— Bluffing  the  Captain— A  Perilous  situation 
—  Parley  with  Drovers- Compromise  Effected— Dealing  with  Law- 
breakers—"Bill"  Hickman  as  sheriff'  Swimming  Cattle  Over  Green 
River— A  Drover's  Failure— Writer  Employed  to  .yet  cattle  over— How- 
it  is  done  secret  of  Success— Arrival  of  Washakie  The  Ferryman  Of- 
fends him— The  Angry  Indian  Swears  Vengeance  on  the  White  Man- 
His  Parting  Threat-  lit  Peril  of  an  Indian  Massacre 333 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Consternation  at  "Washakie's  Declaration— People  Hurry  across  the  River— 
The  Writer  is  Asked  to  Attempt  a  Reconciliation— Night  too  Dark  to 
Travel— Chief  Washakie  and  Braves  Appear  at  sunrise— The  Chief  notes 
that  the  People  are  Terror-Stricken,  and  Decides  that  he  will  be  their 
Friend— Troublous  Exploits  of  Mountain  Men— sheriff's  plan  of  Arresl  - 
How  the  scheme  Worked— Desperadoes  Freed  by  the  Court— Chasing  an 
Offender— Surrounded  by  his  Associates— Coolness  and  Pluck  of  the 
Sheriff  Win— Ready  to  Return  Home— A  Trying  Experience 340 

CHAPTER  XL\  . 

Go  to  Port  8upply— Start  back  to  Green  River  and  meet  o.  p.  Rockwell  al 
Fort  Bridger— He  brings  me  a  Trader's  License,  also  Goods  to  Trade  to 
the  Indians— Being  Late  in  the  season,  We  Store  the  Goods,  and  go  to 
Salt  Lake  City— Receive  the  Approval  of  Governor  Young—  Move  to  Og- 
den— Accompany  Governor  Young  as  interpreter— My  Horse  Stolen— 
Called  on  a  Mission  to  the  Shoshones— On  going  to  Salt  Lake  City,  I  am 
Released— Ordered  to  .take  part  In  Disarming  Indians  at  ogden— A  Diffi- 
cult Job  Chase  to  Mound  Fort— Hand-to-hand  Struggle  with  a  Power- 
ful Savage— Indians  Disarmed,  but  sullen  Chief's  Brother  Offers  all  his 
Possessions  for  his  Gun— Precautions  Taken  to  Peed  the  Indians  that 
Winter— Teach  the  Indian  Language  in  School— Prosper  In  Business :'A:> 

CHAPTEB  XL VI. 

Another  Mission  to  the  Indians— Start  for  the  Shoshone  Camp— Difficulties 
of  Travel-Near  the  Crows  and  Blackfeet— A  Dream  gives  Warning  of 
Danger— Discover  a  Large  Kody  of  Indians— No  Opportunity  of  Escape 
—Ride  into  the  Camp  of  a  Hunting  and  War  Party  — Meet  chief  Washa- 
kie- A  Day's  March  Situation  critical— Holda  Council -Present  the  Book 
of  Mormon-  All  but  Washakie  Speak  Against  us  and  the  Book— Awaiting 
the  Chief's  Decision 350 

CHAPTER   XLVII. 

Washakie's  Bold  Attitude -Tells  his  Councilors  they  are  Fools -Says  the 
White  Men,  who  are  Wise,  have  Books-Tells  the  Tradition  of  how  the 
Indians  fell  into  Darkness  Great  Spirit  Angry  at  the  Red  Man  -Ad- 
vocates that  the  Indians  live  like  White  People -His  Powerful  Speech 
Gains  the  Day  for  us— Shoshone  Tradition— We  Start  Home— A  Hungry 


CONTENTS.  XV 

Trip— Return  to  the  Indians.  Finding  them  Sullen— Fourth  of  July  Cele- 
bration at  Fort  supply-  Return  Home 357 

CHAPTER    XLVHI. 

Affairs  at  Home— Start  for  Fort  Supply— Illness  of  myself  and  Family— Gift 
of  Healing— Trouble  with  Indians  at  Fort  Supply— Turbulent  Bed  Men- 
i  Help  one  off  my  Bed— They  Persist  In  Taking  or  Destroying  our  Prop- 
erty—We Stop  them— One  Attempts  to  Kill  me— Indians  Retire  from  the 
Fort— Almost  a  Conflict— 1  <  heck  the  white  Men  from  Shooting— Indians 
Withdraw— We  send  to  Governor  Young  for  Assistance-  our  stock  and 
Guards  Driven  in— Indian  Agent  Appears  with  Annuities  The  Savages 
Submit— We  Guard  Day  and  Night— Indians  more  Peaceful— Reinforce- 
ments Arrive  from  the  Governor— Matters  Quiet  Down 363 

CHAPTER    XLIW 

start  Home  from  Fort  Supply— ramp  alone  at  Needle  Rook— Awakened  by 
my  Horse— Surrounded  by  Wolves-Flash  Powder  all  Night  to  keep  off 
the  wild  Beasl — Beach  Homi — Supplies  Short— Hardships  of  a  era  — 
Hopper  fear— Getting  my  cattle  out  of  a  (.  anyon— Perils  of  being  Caught  - 
in  the  Snow— creat  Suffering— Breaking  a  Snow  Boad— Business  Affairs..  369 

CHAPTER  E. 

Called  on  a  Mission  to  Deep  Creek  Indian-— short  Time  for  the  Journey- 
Prepare  for  the  Trip — lourney  in  the  Desert- -Horses  >tolen— Travel  on 
Foot— Saved  from  Perishing  with  Thirst— Meet  the  Indians— Could  Un- 
derstand and  Speak  to  them— Indian  Agent's  offer— I  act  as  interpreter 
-  Preach  to  the  Indians— On  the  Return  Trip— Visit  Governor  Young  with 
a  Delegation  of  Ran  nock  Indians :;74 


CHAPTER  EI. 

Utah  Militia  Organized— Elected  Captain  of  a  company  — Hear  of  Johnston's 
Army— Scouting  Party  senl  out— I  am  Chosen  as  Guide— Travel  to  the 
Bear  Lake  rountry— Cold  Nights  and  Little  Kood—Complaint  in  the 
Party— Prove  that  I  am  Bight— Beach  Lost  Creek— Some  of  the  Men  Ob- 
Jectto  Double  Guard— A  Discovery  that  Removes  all  Oh.iections— Strike 
the  Trail  of  Horsemen— Prepare  for  Action— Take  a  Camp  by  Sur- 
prlsi — The  Men  are  Friends— Arrive  at  O.^den— Called  to  so  on  an  Im- 
portant Errand— Tussle  with  an  Indian— Fail  in  Getting  Desired  Infor- 
mation, and  Return  to  Ogden 879 

(   II  AFTER    LIE 

Off  on  Another  scout- Again  on  Bear  River— Dream  of  Seeing  Troops— 
Dream  Fulfilled — end  word  back  of  Discovery— Five  Hundred  Cavalry- 
men—Heavy  Storm— My  only  fiemaining  companion  taken  ill  — He  is 
ih-aied  and  I  am  Stricken  Down— (ami)  in  the  snow— My  companion, 
Expecting  me  to  die,  Prepares  to  take  my  Body  Home— He  Returns, 
Prays  for  me  and  I  am  Healed— Stricken  Down  Again  I  Direct  him  to 
Leave  me  and  Return  Homi — He  obeys  Reluctantly— I  Expect  to  die- 
Peculiar  Experiences— Four  Young  Men.  sent  by  my  comrade,  come  to 
my  Relief —Journey  on— Lighting  fire  in  a  Storm— The  Young  Men  Pray 
for  me,  and  I  am  Relieved— Traveling  Homeward— Kind  Treatment— 
•i  Ogden— Ad  as  Sexton— Guard  over  Spies— Utah  Militia  Recalled— 
Missionary  Labors  m  Weber  County 385 

CHAPTER    EIIE 

Mormons  Abandon  their  Homes  and  Move  South— Prepare  for  the  Worst- 
Go  to  Payson— Affairs  Being  Settled,  Return  to  Ogden- -Called  to  go  East 
as  a  Missionary — lourney  across  the  plains  -Meet  my  Parents  In  Iowa- 
Preaching  and  Traveling -My  Father's  Testimony— Missionary  Labors 
—Called  to  Missouri  Sent  to  bring  a  Herd  of  <  lattle— Return  to  my  Par- 
ents' Home— Rid  Farewell  to  Them— Purchasing  Cattle :j.'.'i 

CHAPTER   LIV. 

Given  Charge  of  a  Company  to  Cross  the  Plains  to  Utah— Composition  of 
the  Camp -Start  West— Perform  Baptisms— Meet  a  War  Party  of  Sioux 


XVI  CONTENTS. 


Indians— Place  where  a.  \y.  Babbitl  was  Rilled— Meet  More  Indians- 
Bow  Trouble  was  Avoided— Camp  Life  and  Duties— Enter  Sail  LakeVal-' 
ley— Company  Greeted  by  the  Church  Authorities— Report  to  President 

Young: and  am  Released— Trade  at  Camp  Floyd— Experience  with  a  Thief 
—Go  to  Work  on  the  Ogden  Canyon  Road— Hardships  Endured :\<r, 


< 


CHAPTKi;   l.\ 


called  on  a  Mission  to  Great  Britain— Prepare  to  Depart— Start  Without 
Purse  or  Scrip— Journey  to  Salt  Lake  city— Set  Apart  for  the  .Mission 
— Begin  the  Journey  Eastward— Organization  of  the  Company— My  Post 
as  chaplain— overtaken  by  Apostles  a.  M.  Lyman  and  c.  C.  Rich— 
Traveling  Through  the  Mountains— snowstorms  and  Wind— Forage  is 
Scarce— Meetings  with  the  Indians— captain  Reynolds'  Exploring  Party 
—Army  Deserters  in  our  Camp-Mail  from  Home— Emigrants  Westward 
Bound— Dissatisfaction  In  Camp— Feeling  about  Apostles  Lyman  and 
Rich— I  Resign  as  Captain,  but  am  Elected  again,  and  Finally  Resume 
Command— Mail  Robbery  More  Disagreeable  storms— Meet  a  Handcart 
Company  and  Apostle  George  Q.  Caiinon— Reach  the  Missouri  River- 
Visit  my  Father  and  his  Family— Go  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri— My  first 
view  of  a  Railway  Train— At  my  old  Home  in  Brown  County,  Illinois— 
Journey  Eastward  by  Rail— Arrive  in  New  York  for  the  First  Time— Find 
Friends 407 

CHAPTER  LVI. 

Visit  Various  Places  of  Interest  in  New  York  and  Vicinitv— Arrival  of  the 
Great  Eastern— Preach  at  Williamsburg— New  York's  Celebration  of  the 
Fourth— My  Thirty-second  Birthday-  Secure  Passports  and  Ocean  Pass- 
age—Crowded in  the  Steerage- Fog. try  and  wet  Weather— View  of  the 
Irish  Coast— Fleet  of  British  Warships— Land  in  Liverpool— Assigned  to 
Birmingham  Conference— In  Birmingham— listen  to  an  Anti-Mormon 
Lecture — Visiting  from  House  to  House  as  a  Mormon  Missionary— Places 
of  Interest— Transferred  to  NottinghamConference— Preachingand  Visit- 
ing—Mission  Travels -Go  to  London— See  Notable  Places— News  of  my 
Daughter's  Death  — Birth  of  Another  Daughter— Return  to  Notting- 
ham   415 

CHAPTER  LVII. 

Again  at  Missionary  Labors— Baptisms  —  Become  Quite  111— Appointed 
President  of  the  Nottingham  District,  Embracing  three  Conferences- 
Visited  by  Apostles  A.  M.  Lyman.  C.  c.  Rich  and  Others— Settling  Differ- 
ences among  Church  Members— Attend  a  Phrenological  Lecture -Get  a 
Chart— Go  to  Liverpool— In  Conference  at  Nottingham— My  Pastorate 
Enlarged— Witness  a  Military  Review-More  Baptisms- Visit  Sheffield- 
Fixing  my  Name -Poverty  in  Nottingham- Invited  to  take  a  Trip  to 
Paris— Go  to  London— Have  to  give  up  the  Visit  to  France— In  Poor 
Health— Return  to  Nottingham— See  Professor  Blondln 42a 

CHAPTER  LVIII. 

Prolonged  Illness— Attend  to  my  Duties  with  Difficulty— Letter  Telling  of 
the  Rattle  of  Bulls  Run— Witness  an  Execution  by  Hanging— Visit  from 
George  (v>.  cannon.  Joseph  F.  Smith  and  Others— Death  of  the  Prince 
Consort— Go  to  Birmingham— Conference  of  the  Priesthood  In  the  British 
Mission-Large  Meeting  In  Odd  Fellows'  Hall,  Birmingham— Again  at 
Nottingham- Visit  Liverpool -Consult  a  Physician,  but  get  little  Relief 
—Seethe  Liverpool  Grand  National  Races— Depravity  Among  Poorer 
Classes  in  Liverpool— Again  at  Nottingham— Released  to  Return  Home- 
Bid  the  People  Farewell— Display  of  their  Affection  for  me— Report  of 
my  Labors  Published  in  the  MlllennialStar— On  Board  Ship— Placed  in 
(  barge  of  the  Company— Sail  for  America— Driven  by  Headwinds  along 
the  Coasts  of  the  Isle  of  Man.  Wales.  Ireland  and  Scotland  Severe  Sea- 
sickness-Get  to  Sea— Slow  Voyage— Deaths  and  Burials  at  sea— Land  at 
New  York — Guest  of  lion.  w.  ii.  Hooper — Journey  to  Florence.  Nebraska 
— Captain  and  Guide  of  Independent  Company— Reach  Salt  hake  City- 
Report  to  President  Young— Again  at  Home 429 

CHAPTER  LIX. 

Remove  from  Ogden  to  Salt  Lake  City  at  the  Request  of  President  Young- 
Necessity  for  Preaching  among  the  Saints— In  the  Employ  of  President 


CONTENTS.  XVII 

Young— On  Another  Mission,  this  time  in  Utah-— Preaching  and  Lector- 
tag— KuUd  a  House— Go  to  the  Canyon  to  get  Finishing  Lumber— Shot  in 
Mistake  tor  a  Bear— Mv  Wound  very  Serious— Taken  to  Wanship  to  Re- 
ceive Care— My  Family  Notified  and  Surgical  Assistance  Obtained— 
Moved  to  my  Home— In  Bed  Nine  Months— Two  Surgical  Operations— 
GrowStronger— Employed  at  the  Warm  Springs— Dr.Robinson— Abscess- 
es in  my  Wounded  Limb— Out  of  Employment— Go  to  the  California 
line  to  Examine  a  Gold  Prospect— Perilous  Journey— Indians  on  the 
Warpath  — Remarkable  experience  with  a  Band  of  Savages— Gift  of 
Speaklngtheir  Language-Unahle  to  work  the  Gold  Claim  Because  of  Lack 
of  Water  Return  to  salt  Lake  City— Go  to  the  Gold  Discoveries  on  the 
Sweetwater— Discover  a  Placer  claim— An  Attempt  to  Rob  me  of  It- 
Bush  for  a  Mine— Hold  the  Claim— Assailed  by  Hostile  Indians— A  Race 
for  Life— Three  Men  Killed— We  Abandon  Camp— Suffer  with  my  Lame 
Limb— Lose  the  Mining  Claim— Hauling  Coal  and  Produce— Almost  Die- 
Confined  to  Bed  tor  Months— Amputation  of  my  l  imb  to  save  my  Life— 
Recoverv— Attend  to  my  Nursery— Advent  of  the  Railway— Traveling 
and  Preaching— A  Slight  Sunstroke *37 

CHAPTER  LX. 

Called  on  a  Mission  to  the  United  States— Journey  Eastward— Visit  Rela- 
tives en  Route— Reach  New  York— Measured  for  an  Artificial  Limb— How 
It  was  Paid  for  Visit  and  Preach— Meet  Poor  Encouragement— Go  to 
Boston—  World's  Peace  Jubilee-Bunker  Hill— Again  at  New  York— Re- 
leased to  Return  Home— Back  in  Utah— Traveling  and  Preaching— Sent 
for  by  President  Young— Called  on  a  Mission  to  Arizona— Directed  to 
Furnish  Names  of  Others-Send  the  List— President  Young  adds  other 
Names— Set  Apart  for  our  Mission- Difficult  to  collect  Money  due  me  - 
Leave  my  Family  Poorly  Provided  for  but  Trusting  In  the  Lord— Placed 
In  Charge  of  the  Mission— Letter  of  Instructions— start  South— People 
contribute  Liberally— Traveling  in  Storm— Arrive  at  Kanab— In  Arizona 
—A  Hard  Journey— Marriage  of  my  Daughter— Beach  Lee's  Ferry  on  the 
Colorado— Crossing  the  Blver—  Keach  Moencoppy  Wash— Decide  to 
Winter  Then — Explore  the  \  icinitv— Meet  Friendly  Indians— building  a 
House— Exploring  the  Little  Colorado— A  Difficult  Trip— Description  of 
the  Route— Find  a  Place  for  Another  Settlement— san  Francisco  Moun- 
tains—Fine  Forest  Growth— Caught  in  Dee],  Snow— Through  with  a 
Perilous  Journey— Decide  to  Return  to  Salt  Lake  City  and  Report— Heavy 
Snow— Trip  Homeward— Cordially  Greeted  by  President  Y'ounij— With 
my  Family 117 

CHAPTER  LXI. 

Attend  Meetings  with  the  First  Presidency  and  Apostles— More  Missionaries 
called  to  Arizona— Many  Inquiries  Regarding  the  Mission— Outline  the 
Route— Preparations  for  Travel— start  South— Aided  by  Contributions- 
Reach  Moencoppy— Meet  Lot  smith  and  Company — Baptisms— start  for 
the  little  Colorado  River— Guide  Missionary  companies  to  the  Place 
we  had  selected  for  Settlement-Lot  Smith  Refuses  to  Acknowledge  my 
Appointment  from  President  Young  as  President  of  the  Mission— He  As- 
sumes Leadership  of  the  new  Settlement— I  Return  with  my  Party  to 
Moencoppy— Other  Companies  of  Missionary  Settlers  sustain  my  i  resi- 
dency— My  Health  is  Poor— settlers  Discouraged— Cheer  them  up  -Work 
of  Frontier  Life— succor  a  Company  whose  WaterSupply  is  Kxhausted— 
Taxing  up  Land— Make  a  Long  Exploring  Trip— Introduce  Book  of  Mor- 
mon to  sava.ios— Return  to  Moencoppy— Indians  Dissatisfied— Go  to  Salt 
Lake  City  with  a  Delegation  of  Navajo  Chiefs— Their  Supposed  Griev- 
ances Settled— Tell  President  Young  I  have  come  Home  to  Stay— He 
Bends  me  out  Again— Directed  to  Procure  Volunteers— Letter  of  Instruc- 
tions—Lecture, and  take  up  Contributions— Return  Home— My  Family 
111— Provide  Supplies  for  Them— Conditions  Improve 

CHAPTER  LXII. 

Ajrain  in  Arizona— Settling  Difficulties  Among  the  People— Our  Reservoir 
Bursts— News  of  Notable  K vents— Prepare  to  Repel  an  Indian  Raid— In- 
dians Quarrel,  and  the  Trouble  Passes  Over— Funeral  at  Moencoppy— 
Exploring  Trip  to  the  Southeast— A  White  Indian  Child— Meet  the  Head 
Chief  of  the  Navajos— His  Address,  and  Proposition  to  Accompany  me 
to  Salt  Lake  Qity— Agree  on  a  Date  for  the  Journey— Continue  my  Trip 
<  »ver  into  New  Mexico,  then  Return  to  Moencoppy— Accusation  Against 
me  Disproved— Indians  Gather  to  go  to  Salt  Lake  City— Make  the  Trip— 


XVIII  CONTENTS. 

At  Presidenl  young's  Deathbed  —  Visil  the  Indians  —  Honorable  Ee- 
lease  from  my  Mission— Resume  Borne  Missionary  Labors— In  Prison  for 
Conscience  sake 468 

CHAPTKB   I, XIII. 

Vlsltedbj  Presidenl  Josepb  P.  Smith -Called  on  Another  Mission  to  the 
society  Islands— Prepare  To  Respond— A  Blessing  by  Apostle  Lorenzo 
-now  Appointed  to  Preside  over  t  lie  society  Islands  Mission— Attempts 
to  Discourage  me  from  Undertaking  the  Journey  Surprise  Party  by  my 
Children  Farewell  Reception  In  the  Ward  Hall  start  on  my  Mission, 
Accompanied  by  my  Son  and  others  who  bad  been  called  voyage  to 
Tahiti  Madman  on  Board  the  Vessel— A1  Marquesas  islands  strange 
<  lharacters— Tattooed  White  Man— His  Peculiar  \  lareer-  Catching  Sharks 

—  Arrive  at  Papeete— My  Reception  Ihere  Meet  Native  Josephlte 
Preachers,  who  seem  confused  — Elders  from  Utah  Greet  us— in  Poor 
Bealtb 4;s 

CHAPTER  LXIV. 

First  Sabbath  in  Tahiti— Meet  Several  Persons  whom  I  Knew  over  Forty 
Years  Before— How  they  Remembered  me  seek  Permission  to  hold  Pub- 
lic Meetings— Widow  of  my  Old  Friend,  John  Layton,  Calls  on  me  Other 
Friends— Preach  to  the  Josephltes— Governor  Refuses  to  Permit  us  to 
Hold  Public  Meetings— Get  Advice  or'  the  United  states  Consul— A  Law- 
yer's Counsel— Josephites  tell  of  B.  F.  Grouard  I  Explain  bow  he  bad 
Turned  into  the  wrong  Path— The  (  luircb  Never  Disorganized  -  Mission- 
ary Labors  -Greeting  a  Frencb  Admiral— Early  Missionaries  to  Tahiti— 
Their  Severe  Experiences— Sixty -fourtb  Anniversary  of  my  birth  Learn 
of  .Mormon-;  who  were  Banged  for  Having  Killed  a  Policeman  in  the 
Trouble  when  I  was  Arrested  on  my  First  Mission  to  the  Islands— Meet  a 
Native  of  Pltcalrn's  Island— His  Story— Visit  Tautila— Severe  Voyage— A 
baptism— Sail  for  Tubuol— Among  Strangers  Celebration  of  a  French 
Fete  Day— Dine  with  the  Governor— People  Become  less  Unfriendly  to 
us— Breaking  of  the  Clouds— baptize  Twenty-four  Persons— Encourag- 
ing Results  of  Missionary  Efforts 4s:', 

CHAPTER    LXV. 

Miraculous  Healing—  Meet  and  Confound  the  .Josephites— Further  Mission- 
ary Success — Meet  a  Native  who  was  Present  when  I  was  sentenced  to  be 
Burned—  Elder  John  Lay  ton's  crave-  Arrange  to  Return  to  Tahiti— Disap- 
pointed—Preach  a  Funeral  Sermon— Forbidden  to  Hold  Public  Meetings 

—  Blind  Woman  one  Hundred  and  Twenty  Years  Old  Her  Testimony 
Administer  to  her  for  her  Eyesight,  and  she  Is  Enabled  to  see  a  Little- 
She  Praises  the  Lord— Preach  in  lc  and  Baptizing— Sail  for  Papeete— An 
odd  Cargo— Hard  Voyage— Held  by  a  Calm— Land  on  Tahiti— sail  for 
Avaroa-  on  a  Well -ordered  Schooner— Call  at  Various  Islands— Lance  a 
Carbuncle— Christmas  Day  at  Sea— Watermelons— A  Beautiful  Residence 
and  cordial  Welcome— Perform  Three  Marriage  Ceremonies— Conference 
of  saints  in  the  Tuamotu  Islands — Mee1  a  Native  Chilean— Visit  Various 
Places— Public  Welcome— Fishing— On  the  Island  of  Anaa— Visit  Where  I 
was  Imprisoned— Graves  of  tbose  Concerned  In  the  Trouble  Then  -War- 
rani  Served  on  me  summoned  to  the  (Government  House  -Warned 
Against  Creating  a  Disturbance 4<« 

CHAPTER    LAY  I. 

Preaching  and  Visiting— Pearl  Fishing— Place  of  my  Arrest  in  1851— Accident 
to  a  Young  Man— incident  with  the  Governor  of  Anaa — See  a  Leper— 
Capture  of  an  Eel— Conference  on  Anaa— Time  of  Dedication  of  salt  Lake 
Temple-  Specially  Interesting  Meetings— New  Elders  from  Utah— Start 
back  to  Tahiti-  Another  Funeral  Sermon— Meel  the  French  Governor  of 
the  Tuamotu  Islands— His  Cordial  Greeting— Arrive  at  Papeete— Ap- 
pointments for  the  New  Missionaries— Fall  to  gel  a  Passage  to  Tubuol— 
My  ib-aith  Very  Poor—  Learn  of  the  Dedication  of  the  Sail  Lake  Temple 
—Elders  Unanimous  in  the  Decision  that  I  should  Return  Borne  because 
of  my  Illness— 1  Demur  -Conclude  to  go— Trouble  on  Anaa— My  Sixty- 
fifth  birthday— Notable  Kindness  of  a  Native  child— sail  from  Papeete- 
Difficulty  In  Landing  from  small  boats— In  the  Society  Islands— Reach 
San  Francisco— Arrive  in  Salt  Lake  City— Report  the  Successful  Opening 
of  the  Society  Islands  Mission 501 


CONTENTS.  XIX 


CHAPTEB  LXYII. 


Invited  To  the  Midwinter  Fair,  San  Francisco,  ami  Accept — Fourney  to  Cali- 
fornia—Kind  Treatment  Received— An  Honored  cuest— Write  a  Pam- 
phlet on  the  Discovery  of  Gold  at  Miner's  .Mill  Race— First  Accurate  Ac- 
count Published— Again  at  Home— Preparing  my  Autobiography  for 
Publication— A  Great  Task  -Progress  of  the  Work  My  History  of  the 
First  Mission  to  the  Pacific  Islands— Utah's  Semi -Centennial  Jubilee— 
Not  a  Utah  Pioneerof  1847-Ploneer  Just  the  Sam< — Mormon  Battalion 
Kecosmized  in  the  ("tali  Celebration— Invited  to  join  In  the  Parade  Com- 
parative Narrowness  of  Committee's  courtesy-  Letters  from  California 
Regarding  the  Pioneer  Celebration  there  in  1898 — Invited  with  three 
Others  of  the  Mormon  Battalion,  to  be  special  Guests  as  the  survivors 
of  the  Party  that  Discovered  Gold  In  California  in  L848— Appreciation  of 
the  ( lourtesy  Extended  by  Californlans 508 

CHAPTER   LXVIII. 

Trip  to  California— Met  by  the  Committee  on  Reception  of  the  Society  of 
California  Pioneers— Received  with  Great  <  lordlality— Honored  Guests  at 
California's  Golden  Jubilee— The  Celebration— Courtesies  Extended  to 
Mormon  Battalion  Members  Present  at  the  Discovery  of  Gold— Return 
Home— Resolutions  by  Society  of  California  Pioneers— Report  of  Recep- 
tion committee  of  California  Golden  Jubilee— Sketch  of  Marshall's  Sur- 
viving Companions- complete  my  Autobiography — My  son  Homer 
Accidentally  Killed— the  Old  Folks— Publication  of  Life  of  a  Pioneer- 
Conclusion 514 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Portia  it  of  James  s    Brown Frontispiece. 

Eire  Prepared  to  Roasl  the  Missionary— Sentenced  to  Death 249 

a  T\  pica]  Tahitlan  with  his  Burden  of  Bread  Fruit  and  Fell 303 

A  War  Party  of  Shoshones  Dancing  around  their  Prisoners  while  in  the 

Chief's  Lodge 325 

Surrounded  by  a  Pack  of  Hungry  Wolves ;J.Ti 

Chased  By  a  War  Party 444 

Marquesas  Fire  Dancers 480 


LIFE  OF  A  PIONEER 

BEING 

THE  AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
OF 

JAMES  S.    BROWN. 


CHAPTER  I. 

HOME  OF  THE  AUTHOR— -A  CAREER  OF  THRILLING]  EXPERIEN<  ES— HIS 
BIRTH  AND  PARENTAGE— EARLY  AVOCATIONS— MIGRATION  PROM 
NoKTII  CAROLINA  TO  ILLINOIS— LIFE  <  >X  THE  FRONTIER— DAN- 
GERS TO  EARLY  SETTLERS— A  FRONTIERSMAN— FATHER'S  ADVICE 
—MORE  SETTLERS  COME— CHURCHES  AND  SCHOOLS— LIMITED 
OPPORTUNITIES— FROZEN  FEET— UNIMPRESSIONABLE  TO  THE 
PREA<  HTNG  OF  THE  TIME  -TALK  OF  \  NEW  RELIGION,  PROPHET8, 
MIRACLES,  ETC.  -PERSE*  L7TION  OF  THE  OSW CHURCH— "SHOWERS 
OF  STARS"  -POPULAR  ADVERSE  VIEWS  <»F  THE  MORMONS— THE 
MORMONS  DRIVES  FROM  MISSOURI  INTO  ILLINOIS— MORMON 
ELDER  COMES  TO  PREACH— CONVERTS  UNCLE  JAMES  BROWN- 
PREACHES  AGAIN— PREPARATIONS  TO  MOB  TIIK  ELDER— HIS 
8CRIPTURAL  DOCTRINE  DISCONCERTS  ENEMIES  AND  SECURES 
HIM  FRIEND! — HIS  DISCOURSE -EFFECT  ON  YOUNG  JAMES  8. 
BROWN  OF  THIS  FIRST  GOSPEL  SERMON  To  III.M-His  TESTIMONY. 
TO  THE  SPIRIT  AND  TRUTH   OF    TIIK  ELDER'S  MESSAGE. 

THE  subject  and  author  of  this  Life-Sketch  of  a  Pioneer 
is  James  Stephens  Brown,  now  (1900)  in  his  seventy- 
second  year,  a  resident  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  his  home 
less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  and  within  the  summer 
morning's  shadow  of  the  majestic  Temple  of  the  Lord 
erected  on  that  spot  which  he  beheld  a  barren  and  desolate 


IO  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

wilderness,  on  his  entrance  into  the  valley  of  the  Great 
Salt  Lake,  over  half  a  century  ago.  His  life  has  been  one 
of  thrilling  experiences — more  than  ordinarily  falls  to  the  lot 
even  of  a  pioneer  settler  in  the  Great  West — a  life  in  which 
hardship  and  perils  by  sea  and  land,  among  dusky  savages 
and  with  white  men,  have  contributed  largely  to  the  events 
of  his  career;  withal  one  in  which  he  has  had  abundant 
occasion  to  recognize  and  acknowledge  the  power  and  pro- 
tecting care  of  an  Almighty  Providence. 

It  is  at  the  urgent  request  and  advice  of  valued  friends, 
familiar  to  a  considerable  extent  with  my  life  and  labors, 
that  I  place  this  autobiography  in  form  to  be  easily  acces- 
sible to  those  desirous  of  perusing  it;  and  I  am  not  unmind- 
ful of  the  fact  that  this  simple  recital  of  events  is  not  only 
of  intense  interest  in  numerous  episodes  which  it  records, 
but  is  of  historic  value  in  being  a  plain  and  truthful  narra- 
tive of  the  personal  experiences  of  a  western  pioneer. 

I  was  born  on  Independence  Day,  July  4,  1828,  in 
Davidson  County,  North  Carolina,  U.  S.  A.  My  father 
was  Daniel  Brown;  he  was  the  youngest  son  of  his  father's 
family,  and  was  born  in  Rowan  County,  North  Carolina, 
June  30,  1804.  My  father's  father  was  James  Brown,  a 
native  of  Rowan  County,  North  Carolina,  1757  being  the 
year  of  his  birth.  His  wife  was  the  widow  of  a  Revolu- 
tionary War  soldier  named  Emerson,  who  was  killed  in  the 
war  for  American  independence,  leaving  his  wife  and  two 
children,  Margaret  and  John  Emerson.  My  grandfather 
James  Brown  married  the  widow  Emerson,  who  bore  him 
nine  children — three  sons  and  six  daughters — Jane,  Polly, 
Nancy,  Susan,  Patsy,  William,  Obedience,  James  (captain 
of  Company  C,  Mormon  Battalion),  and  Daniel  (my  father); 
her  maiden  name  was  Mary  Williams.  All  the  family  had 
an  excellent  reputation,  being  upright,  thrifty,  and  good  and 
industrious  citizens. 

With  these  introductory  remarks,  I  will  proceed  to  an 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  II 

account  of  my  boyhood's  days.  I  was  reared  at  the  farming 
and  stock  business,  also  at  getting  out  saw  timber  and 
wood  for  cooperware.  My  parents  had  moved  from 
North  Carolina  to  Brown  County.  Illinois,  in  the  autumn 
of  1831,  and  had  purchased  an  extensive  tract  of  land.  We 
were  a  large  family ;  the  country  was  then  wild  and  with 
very  few  inhabitants,  and  the  climate  was  unhealthy;  so  it 
was  with  great  effort  that  father  and  mother  succeeded  in 
making  a  home  and  gathering  about  them  the  comforts  of 
life. 

We  were  frontier  settlers,  and  while  father  had  his 
pick  of  land,  he  also  had  the  hardships  and  privations 
of  a  new  country  to  endure.  There  were  no  churches  or 
schoolhouses  nearer  than  ten  miles  from  our  home,  and 
grist  mills  and  blacksmith  shops  were  equally  distant.  Thus 
the  family  was  reared  without  the  advantage  of  schools,  or 
of  church-going  religious  training.  But  we  were  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  border  life,  with  hunting,  fishing,  and  all 
the  sports  indulged  in  by  hardy  pioneers,  and  even  learned 
to  shake  terribly  from  the  ague,  and  burn  with  fever  spells, 
while  we  were  well  dosed  with  quinine  and  calomel,  and 
had  enormous  doctor's  bills  to  pay. 

In  our  operations  we  trained  horses  and  cattle  to  work, 
stocked  our  own  plows,  made  our  own  harrows,  rakes  and 
forks,  braided  our  own  whips  from  the  pelts  of  wild  beasts 
which  we  ourselves  dressed,  raised  our  own  honey, and  made 
our  own  sugar,  with  some  to  sell.  We  had  a  good  sugar 
orchard,  and  plenty  of  wild  fruits  and  nuts  for  the  gather- 
ing. As  the  first  settlers  of  new  countries  are  more  or 
less  subject  to  dangers  from  outlaws,  wild  beasts,  and  sav- 
age men,  we  found  it  important  to  be  well  armed,  and  on 
the  alert  day  and  night  to  defend  life  and  liberty. 

Thus  we  learned  the  use  of  firearms  and  the  toma- 
hawk. My  father  was  an  expert  with  the  old  Kentucky 
rifle,  and  some  of  his   boys   were   not  far   behind   him;  he 


12  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

trained  them  always  to  shoot  with  a  rising  sight,  to  keep 
cool,  and  always  to  have  their  powder  dry  and  plenty  of  it. 
He  also  taught  us  to  tell  the  truth,  and  used  to  say:  "Be 
honest,  stand  up  for  your  rights,  and  fight  for  your  country 
and  friends." 

In  the  year  1835,  people  began  to  settle  in  around  us. 
and  then  the  circuit  riders,  as  they  were  called — the  minis- 
ters— commenced  to  call  around  and  hold  meetings  in  pri- 
vate houses.  There  were  Baptists,  Freewill  Baptists, 
Methodists,  Campbellites,  and  others.  From  1836  to  1838 
some  small  churches  and  schoolhouses  were  built,  so  that 
we  began  to  get  spiritual  food,  such  as  it  was;  and  also 
some  schooling,  with  the  benefit  of  the  hickory  rod  that 
always  was  kept  "in  soak,"  so  to  speak,  and  woe  to  the 
unruly  student  when  it  was  called  into  service! 

So  far  as  the  author  is  concerned,  he  managed  to  get 
along  without  the  rod  the  short  time  he  was  permitted  to 
attend  school.  He  was  kept  close  at  work  on  the 
farm  in  summer,  and  in  the  winter  months  was  engaged 
getting  out  timber  and  hauling  to  market  the  farm  products. 
Once  his  feet  were  frozen  so  that  he  lost  every  nail  from  his 
toes.  As  to  the  religious  teachings  of  the  time,  there  was  a 
great  deal  of  thundering  and  thundering,  but  it  failed  to  indi- 
cate any  lightening  of  the  author's  path,  for  he  fished  and 
hunted  on  the  Sabbath  day,  just  the  same. 

Some  time  in  the  '30s  we  began  to  hear  a  little  about 
false  prophets,  a  new  religion,  ^niracles.  money-diggers, 
thieves,  liars,  miracle-workers,  deceivers,  witches,  speaking 
in  tongues  and  interpretation  of  the  same,  walking  on  the 
water,  and  visits  from  angels.  As  time  went  on,  all  these 
things  were  combined  to  form  a  grand  excuse  for  raising 
mobs  to  expel  the  new  Church  from  the  borders  of  civiliza- 
tion. Then  came  news  of  murder,  rapine,  house-burning, 
and  destruction  of  towns  and  cities  in  Missouri.  There 
were  great  "showers"  of  stars   in  the  firmament  about  this 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.     BROWN.  13 

time.  On  popular  rumor,  and  from  hearing  only  one  side 
of  the  story,  almost  everybody  decided  that  such  a  pre- 
viously unheard-of  people  as  the  Mormons  ought  to  be 
shot  or  burned  at  the  stake.  This  was  the  sentiment  to 
be  found  on    every  hand. 

As  a  culmination  of  these  things  came  the  tidings  that 
the  Missourians  had  driven  the  Mormons  from  the  state  of 
Missouri  into  Illinois.  A  little  later,  and  a  Latter-day 
Saint  Elder  named  Jacob  Pfoutz  entered  the  neighborhood 
of  my  Uncle  James  Brown's  home, converted  him,  his  wife, 
and  several  of  the  neighbors.  This  Elder  was  brought 
down  by  my  uncle  to  see  his  two  sisters,  Aunts  Polly  and 
Nancy  Brown. 

Elder  Pfoutz  was  given  permission  to  preach  in  the 
schoolhouse  about  three  miles  from  my  father's  house. 
The  news  spread  like  a  prairie  fire  that  the  Mormons  had 
come  and  would  preach  on  Friday.  I  think  this  was  in  the 
autumn  of  1840.  I  was  at  my  aunt's  at  the  time,  and 
decided  to  go  and  hear  the  strange  preacher.  Like  most 
of  the  people,  I  went  out  of  curiosity,  more  than  anything 
else.  I  had  just  turned  my  twelfth  year,  and  had  begun  to 
take  some  interest  in  religion,  going  to  every  meeting 
for  which  I  could  obtain  permission  from  my  parents,  yet 
not  thinking  for  a  moment  but  that  all  religions  were  right. 

At  the  first  meeting  held  by  the  Mormon,  the  house 
was  pretty  well  tilled.  Some  who  attended  did  so  with  the 
thought  that  after  the  services  were  over  they  would  tar 
and  feather  the  Elder  and  ride  him  on  a  rail,  as  such  things 
had  been  indulged  in  in  Missouri,  and  threats  had  been 
made  freely.  Others  were  going  to  confound  him,  and  still 
others  wanted  to  see  the  fun,  as  they  said. 

The  preacher  was  a  plain-spoken  man  of  thirty-five  to 
forty  years  old,  of  German  descent.  He  was  plainly 
dressed,  and  without  that  urbane  polish  which  ministers 
usually  have.     When  he  began  his  discourse,  he  raised  up 


14  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

very  calmly  and  deliberately  .and  read  from  Matthew, seventh 
chapter,  verses  fifteen  to  twenty.  He  spoke  from  that  text 
and  corroborating  passages,  supporting  his  argument 
throughout  by  scripture.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  address, 
some  of  the  people  said  they  did  not  want  to  mob  a  man 
who  preached  like  that,  while  others  "sniffed"  their  noses 
and  tried  to  get  up  a  sneering  laugh,  but  failed.  The  Elder 
was  invited  to  my  aunt's  house  and  was  granted  permission 
to  preach  on  Sunday  in  their  oak-grove,  while  several  of 
the  religiously  inclined  followed  him  to  his  stopping  place 
and  plied  him  with  questions. 

As  to  myself,  it  seemed  that  I  had  not  only  heard  it 
thunder,  but  I  had  seen  the  lightning  and  felt  it  through 
every  fibre  of  my  system,  from  the  crown  of  my  head  to 
the  soles  of  my  feet.  I  was  revived  as  the  showers  of 
heaven  revive  the  parched  earth  and  impart  life  to  the 
languishing  vegetation.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  I 
knew  the  Latter-day  Saints,  or  Mormons,  were  looked  upon 
as  filth,  in  fact  as  even  worse  than  rubbish,  that  they  had 
been  called  the  very  off-scourings  of  the  earth,  that  they 
were  regarded  as  deserving  to  be  put  to  death,  yet  from 
that  very  day  I  received  their  doctrine  in   or  by   the   spirit. 

Now  that  sixty  years  have  rolled  by  since  the  events 
here  narrated;  that  I  have  passed  through  mobbings,  rob- 
bings, fines  and  penalties;  have  been  banished  and  once 
sentenced  to  death;  Paul-like  have  fought  with  wild  beasts, 
have  been  shipwrecked  and  almost  starved;  have  famished 
on  thirsty  deserts;  have  had  the  scalping-knife  wielded 
over  my  head  while  the  Indian  warwhoop  saluted  my  ears 
and  the  savage  warrior  danced  with  tomahawk  in  hand, 
exulting  over  the  victim  intended  to  be  slain  and  scalped  in 
trophy  of  victory;  have  laid  in  dungeons  for  my  religion's 
sake — thanks  be  to  God  that  I  yet  live  and  bear  a  faithful 
testimony  of  the  truth  and  spirit  that  possessed  my  soul  from 
that  first  Gospel  sermon  I  ever   heard.     I  have   listened  to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 5 

ministers  of  various  Christian  denominations  advocate  good 
and  virtuous  principles,  but  I  never  knew  any  of  them  to 
preach  the  fullness  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  as  did 
that  humble  Mormon  Elder. 


CHAPTER    II. 

PERSECUTED  BY  PLAYMATES— GIVE  THEM  AN  EFFECTIVE  CHECK— FIGHT 
WITH  WILD  BEASTS-  PARENTS  JOIN  THE  MORMONS— THE  AUTHOE 
HOLDS  BACK— ASSASSINATION  OF  JOSEPH  AND  HYRUM  SMITH— 
MORMONS  LEAVE  ILLINOIS  Vn\l  THE  ftEST— EXCITING  TIMES— MY 
WINTER'S  WORK— FATHER  DECIDES  TO  WAIT  A  WHILE  BEFORE 
LEAVING  ELLLNOIS— MY  DETERMINATION  TO  GO  WITH  THE  MOR- 
MONS-CONFIDE A  SECRET  TO  MY  MOTHER— A  NEW  CONSULTA- 
TIONS-CHANGE l\  THE  FAMILY  PLANS— FATHER  PREPARES  Tn 
START  -GIVES  ME  PERMISSION  TO  GO— THINKS  OF  LEAVING  ME 
BECAUSE  OF  MY  ILLNESS  -1  PEEL  T<  >  PREFER  DEATH  TO  BEING 
LEFT  BEHIND. 

FROM  the  very  day  my  parents  entertained  the  Latter- 
day  Saint  Elders  in  their  house  my  former  playmates 
in  the  neighborhood  commenced  a  crusade  on  me,  calling 
me  a  Mormon,  and  many  hard  names,  whenever  they  met 
me.  When  we  gathered  at  the  mill  pond,  our  usual  place  of 
bathing,  they  would  baptize  me,  as  they  called  it,  in  the 
name  of  Beelzebub;  but  I  called  it  drowning,  for  it  seemed 
to  me  that  when  three  or  four  of  them  got  me  under  the 
water  they  never  knew  when  to  let  me  up.  Then  when 
I  got  out  of  the  water  they  would  mockingly  -lay  hands" 
on  me  in  the  name  of  Beelzebub,  going  through  a  ceremony 
and  at  short  intervals  calling  "Pluck,"  when  they  would 
pull  my  hair  with  a  severe  twitch,  and  would  spit  on  me 
and  laugh.  Once  my  clothes  were  taken  and  thrown  into 
a  bed  of  itching  nettles,  and  when  I  tried  to  get  them  out 
with  a  pole  I  was  pushed  in  among  the  nettles.     At  the  grist- 


l6  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

mill,  also,  they  would  punish  me  in  a  shameful  manner.  At 
last  I  became  so  provoked  that  I  went  after  them  with  a 
strong  jack-knife.  Though  some  of  them  were  eighteen  or 
nineteen  years  old,  they  ran  off,  fully  convinced  that  I  would 
have  hurt  them  if  I  could  have  caught  them.  The  miller 
interposed  and  gave  them  a  severe  reprimand.  From  that 
time  thev  never  tried  to  punish  me.  My  medicine  had 
worked  well,  and  thereafter  I  was  looked  on  as  a  leading 
boy  among  them. 

During  this  period  I  had  some  perilous  experiences 
with  wild  animals.  My  father  had  a  pet  deer,  and  a  bull- 
dog owned  by  the  family  caught  it  by  the  nose;  I  tried  to 
get  the  dog  off,  when  the  frightened  deer  kicked  and  tore 
my  clothes  almost  off,  lacerating  my  flesh  considerably. 
Soon  after  this  the  deer  was  followed,  in  the  woods  near 
the  house,  by  a  large  buck,  which  my  father  shot.  The 
animal's  shoulder  was  broken,  and  I  followed  it  to  the  mill- 
pond  and  sprang  into  the  water  to  hold  it.  As  I  seized  its 
horn  the  buck,  which  had  a  footing,  threw  me  around,  lacer- 
ating my  left  hand  considerably.  For  a  time  my  life  was 
in  peril  from  the  wild  animal,  but  I  struggled  and  finally 
used  my  pocket  knife  on  its  throat.  Some  time  after  this 
episode  a  man  named  John  Bos  shot  and  wounded  a  big 
buck  near  our  home.  It  being  night,  he  came  to  the  house 
for  assistance,  and  father  and  I  went  out.  The  dogs  reached 
the  buck,  which  charged  on  them,  and  as  it  was  seized  by 
the  nose  by  one  of  them  father  and  I  caught  the  buck's 
hind  feet.  It  kicked  us  free,  and  I  had  a  close  call  from 
being  severely  if  not  fatally  hurt;  but  we  returned  to  the 
attack,  and  finally  secured  the  game. 

As  time  went  on  the  older  people  in  our  neighborhood 
took  interest  in  the  Mormon  Elders,  and  some  of  them 
joined  the  new  Church,  while  others  became  very  intoler- 
ant and  hostile.  My  parents  and  my  eldest  brother  and  sister 
united  with  the  Mormons;  yet  I  held  back,  for  though  fully 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 7 

in  sympathy  with  what  my  relatives  had  done  I  did  not  con- 
sider myself  worthy  to  join,  for  I  thought  that  to  be  a  church 
member  I  must  have  some  great  experience  and  see  great 
lights,  such  as  I  had  heard  people  testify  of.  Thus  I  stayed 
out  and  watched  developments. 

Finally,  in  July.  1844,  the  news  reached  us  that  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith  and  his  brother  Hyrum,  the  Patri- 
arch, had  been  assassinated  in  Carthage  jail  by  a  mob;  also, 
that  the  Mormons  had  been  ordered  to  leave  the  state,  and 
were  going  either  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  California,  or 
Vancouver  Island.  In  fact,  there  were  many  kinds  of 
rumors  afloat,  and  there  was  great  excitement. 

In  the  fall  of  1845  permission  was  given  me  to  go  to 
a  river  town  live  miles  from  home,  to  work  at  a  slaughter 
and  packing  house,  where  my  cousin,  Homer  Jackson,  and 
I  got  employment  that  season.  We  heard  that  the  Mor- 
mons were  going  to  start  west  the  next  spring — in  fact, 
their  purpose  was  a  topic  of  frequent  conversation.  We 
returned  home  in  the  latter  part  of  January,  1846,  and  soon 
learned  that  the  Church  leaders  were  leaving  Nauvoo  for  a 
new  home  in  the  unknown  western  wilds,  and  that  every 
true  Mormon  was  expected  to  join  them  as  soon  as  possible. 

Shortly  after  this,  father  called  a  family  meeting  to  con- 
sider what  to  do.  It  was  a  great  venture  to  start  out  with 
a  large  family  on  a  journey  of  a  thousand  miles  or  more  into 
an  unknown  wilderness,  among  savage  tribes;  so  after  long 
discussion  of  the  matter,  it  was  decided  to  be  too  great  an 
undertaking  at  that  particular  time.  It  was  regarded  as  in- 
advisable to  take  the  chances  of  starving  to  death  in  the 
wilderness.  Besides,  property  was  very  low,  and  it  was 
folly  to  sell  out  a  good  home  at  so  great  a  sacrifice  as  seemed 
necessary. 

When  this  decision  was  reached,  father  turned  to  me 
and  said:  '-Well,  Jimmy,  what  do  you  think  about  it?"  I  an- 
swered that  where  the  Mormons  went  I  would  go,  and  where 


1 8  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

they  died  I  would  die.  This  was  the  first  time  I  had  been 
asked  a  question,  and  as  I  was  not  a  member  of  the  Church 
my  reply  surprised  the  others.  Being  inquired  of  as  to  how 
I  would  go.  I  suggested  that  perhaps  someone  wanted  a 
teamster,  or  maybe  there  was  some  widow  who  would  take 
a  boy  for  his  labor  in  return  for  food  and  clothing.  Father 
asked  if  I  would  leave  the  family  and  go  out  west  and  starve; 
and  he  suggested  that  as  I  did  not  belong  to  the  Mormons 
they  would  not  have  me.  To  this  I  said  I  would  join  them, 
and  that  my  mind  was  made  up  to  go  with  the  Mormons  at 
all  hazards.  Then  father  ordered  me  to  keep  quiet,  saying 
he  would  thrash  me  if  I  talked  of  leaving  home.  This 
closed  the  discussion,  for  in  those  days  thrashing  was  the 
great  panacea  for  disobedience,  whether  at  home  or  in  the 
school  room.  But  that  threat  clinched  my  resolve  to  go 
with  the  Mormons  even  at  the  risk  of  life,  for  I  was 
thoroughly  satisfied  of  the  justice  of  their  cause. 

I  said  no  more  then,  but  at  the  first  opportunity  told  my 
mother  that  soon  I  would  come  up  missing,  as  I  was  going 
with  the  Mormons,  and  should  hide  if  searched  for,  if  I  had 
to  go  among  the  Indians.  Mother  said  I  would  starve,  but 
my  reply  was  that  I  could  live  on  what  others  did.  My 
mother  was  convinced  that  I  would  go.  and  her  mother's 
heart  w7as  so  touched  that  she  could  not  withold  my  secret 
from  my  father,  who  believed,  too,  that  I  would  do  as  I  had 
said. 

One  evening,  soon  afterward,  I  overheard  them  talking 
of  the  matter.  Father  said  it  would  break  up  the  family  if 
they  did  not  move  west,  for  Jim  certainly  would  go;  the}7 
were  satisfied  that  the  Mormon  doctrines  were  true,  and 
thought  that  perhaps  they  had  better  make  an  effort  to  sell 
out  and  move.  My  heart  was  filled  with  joy  at  these 
words. 

When  morning  came,  father  set  out  to  buy  oxen,  and 
was  successful.     He  also   sold   his   farm   but   reserved  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  19 

crop,  as  he  had  to  wait  till  after  harvest  for  part  of  his  pay 
for  the  land.  He  thought  that  by  fitting  out  two  good 
teams,  and  providing  wagons  and  tools,  he  and  Alexander 
Stephens  (mother's  brother)  and  two  of  his  sisters  (old 
maids),  and  myself  could  go  out  into  Iowa,  where  we  could 
put  in  some  corn  and  build  a  cabin  or  two.  Then  my  uncle 
and  1  could  do  the  rest  while  father  returned,  took  care  of 
the  harvest,  and  brought  up  the  family,  when  we  would  fol- 
low the  Church  as  best  we  could  until  a  resting  place  was 
found. 

The  way  now  seemed  open.  My  father  felt  encour- 
aged, and  all  went  well  until  a  few  days  before  the  time 
for  starting,  when  I  was  stricken  down  with  fever  and  ague, 
and  shook  or  chilled  every  other  day  till  the  first  of  May, 
at  which  time  all  was  ready  for  moving.  Efforts  were 
made  to  persuade  me  that  I  could  not  stand  the  journey,  but 
should  allow  one  of  the  other  boys  to  go  in  my  stead.  But  I 
could  not  see  it  in  that  light.  While  father  was  talking  of  the 
matter  to  mother  I  overheard  him  say,  "We  will  have  to  let 
James  go,  for  he  will  not  be  satisfied  without,  but  he  will  get 
enough  of  it  when  he  has  had  a  few  days,  and  has  camped 
out  and  shaken  a  few  times  with  the  ague."  I  thought  to 
myself.  --You  are  mistaken,  father,  for  I  would  rather  die 
than  be  left  behind." 


20  LIFE    OF    A     PIONEER. 


CHAPTER    III. 

START  FOB  NAUVOO— TAKEN  SEVERELY  ILL-TIIE  LORD  AN8WER8  MV 
PRAYEB  FOB  RELIEF— PASS  THBOUGH  CARTHAGE— IN  NAUVOO 
"THE  BEAUTIFUL,"  BUT  ALMOST  DESERTED  CITY-SCENE  ON  UN: 
I<>\\  A  SHORE— CROSS  THE  MISSISSIPPI— CURIOUS  MAKE-UP  OF  THE 
EXILES'  TEAMS— THE  BAD  ROADS— STUCK  IX  THE  MUD— REPAIR- 
ING (AMI'; — (,<><>i>  ORDEB  MAINTAINED— UNNECESSARY  KILLING 
(>F  GAME  FORBIDDEN— REACH  GRAND  RIVEB  AND  PUT  IN  A  CROP 
—LEARN  <>F  THE  (ALL  FOR  THE  MORMON  BATTALION— APOSTLES 
AS  RECRUITING  OFFICERS— CALL  FOB  VOLUNTEERS— RESPONSE 
BY  THE  CAMP— RECEIVED  INTO  THE  CHURCH  BY  BAPTISM- 
FILLED  Willi  THE  LOVE  OF  THE  GOSPEL— GET  THE  SPIRIT  TO 
ENLIST— CONSULT  WITH  MY  RELATIVES  AND  EZRA  T.  BENSON— 
AN  ELDER'S  PROMISE— JOIN  THE  MORMON  BATTALION. 

MAY  ist,  1846,  was  a  pleasant  day,  and  we  made  our 
start  for  Nauvoo,  passing  through  Versailles  to  a 
point  some  ten  miles  from  home  to  the  first  night's  camp. 
I  was  encouraged  to  think  I  had  kept  so  well,  but  about 
ten  o'clock  the  second  day  I  began  to  shake,  and  my  teeth 
fairly  to  crack.  I  prayed  earnestly  to  the  Lord  to  heal  me. 
I  was  quite  weak,  and  all  thought  me  very  sick.  But  that 
was  the  last  "shake"  I  had,  for  I  began  to  get  well  from 
that  time. 

It  was  on  May  4th,  I  believe,  that  we  reached  Nauvoo, 
having  passed  through  Mount  Sterling,  the  county  seat  of 
Brown  County,  also  through  Carthage,  where  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith  and  his  brother  the  Patriarch  Hyrum  Smith 
had  been  assassinated.  We  found  the  roads  so  muddy  and 
such  hard  traveling  that  we  did  not  make  more  than  fifteen 
miles  a  day.  When  we  came  in  sight  of  the  Temple  at 
Nauvoo  our  hearts  were  filled  with  mingled  joy  and  sor- 
row— joy  that  we  had  seen  the  Temple  of  the  Lord,  and 
sorrow  that  the  Saints  had   been   so   cruelly  driven  from  it. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  21 

As  we  passed  through  the  city  we  saw  many  houses  which 
had  been  abandoned — indeed,  the  city  itself  seemed  almost 
deserted.  At  some  of  the  houses  stood  covered  wagons, 
into  which  people  were  packing  goods  preparatory  to  their 
flight  into  the  wilderness,  they  knew  not  where. 

Looking  westward  across  the  great  Mississippi  River, 
we  saw  long  trains  of  wagons  strung  out  over  the  high  roll- 
ing prairie.  The  country  was  new.  and  the  roads  muddy, 
so  we  rested  three  or  four  days,  visiting  the  Temple  and 
viewing  the  city  that  was  beautiful  for  situation,  but  now 
was  left  with  few  inhabitants.  Everything  in  and  about  the 
city  that  formerly  hummed  with  industry  and  life  was  now 
lonely,  saddened,  and  forlorn,  and  silent  but  for  the  prepa- 
rations for  flight  by  the  remnant  therein. 

About  the  8th  of  May  we  crossed  the  great  "father  of 
waters"  and  joined  the  "rolling  kingdom"  on  its  westward 
journey.  We  found  friends  and  acquaintances,  made  up  a 
company  of  our  own.  and  passed  and  were  repassed  on 
the  trip.  Climbing  an  eminence  from  which  we  looked 
east  and  west,  covered  wagons  could  be  seen  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach.  The  teams  were  made  up  of  oxen,  milch 
cows,  two-year-old  steers  and  heifers,  and  very  few  horses 
and  mules.  The  teamsters  were  of  both  sexes,  and  com- 
prised young  and  old.  The  people  who  could  walk  did  so, 
and  many  were  engaged  in  driving  loose  stock. 

Hundreds  of  teams  stuck  in  the  mud,  and  we  had 
to  double-up  and  help  one  another  out.  Many  times  we  had 
to  wade  in  mud  half  to  our  knees  and  lift  our  wagons  out 
of  the  mire.  In  this  the  women  not  infrequently  would  join 
their  husbands  and  sons,  and  the  old  adage  came  true  in 
numerous  instances — women  for  a  dead  lift;  when  they 
plunged  into  the  mud  and  put  their  shoulders  to  the  wheels 
the  men  were  urged  to  do  double  effort,  and  the  wagon 
always  rolled  out  and  onward,  at  the  rate  of  twelve  to  fif- 
teen miles  per  day. 


2  2  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

At  every  creek  we  found  campers,  some  repairing 
wagons,  yokes,  chains,  etc.,  doctoring  sick  cattle,  washing 
clothes,  or  helping  forward  friends  whose  teams  were  weak. 
In  all  this  there  was  excellent  order,  for  the  camps  were 
organized  in  a  general  way  by  tens,  fifties  and  hundreds. 
Peace  and  harmony  prevailed  all  along  the  line.  Evening 
prayers  were  attended  to  in  each  camp.  There  was  much 
singing,  mostly  of  sacred  hymns  or  sentimental  songs;  and 
from  no  quarter  could  coarse  songs  be  heard.  Sometimes 
the  camp  would  meet  in  a  sociable  dance  in  the  evenings,  to 
drive  dull  care  away;  and  then  there  always  was  good  order 
and  the  most  perfect  friendship  and  peace. 

The  camps  wTere  instructed  not  to  kill  game  of  any  kind 
to  waste  its  flesh;  they  were  not  even  to  kill  a  snake  on  the 
road,  for  it  was  their  calling  to  establish  peace  on  earth,  and 
good  will  toward  man  and  beast.  Thus  all  went  on  in  peace 
and  order. 

At  one  of  the  headwaters  of  the  Grand  River,  Iowa, 
we  found  some  hundreds  of  people  putting  in  gardens  and 
field  crops  (corn  and  potatoes).  A  few  cabins  had  been 
built,  so  father  and  our  party  decided  to  stop  there.  We 
put  in  a  few  acres  of  corn  and  garden  stuff,  then  father  re- 
turned to  Illinois  to  bring  up  the  rest  of  the  family,  leaving 
my  Uncle  Alexander  Stephens  and  myself  to  look  after  the 
crop  and  stock,  which  we  did  faithfully. 

About  the  6th  of  July  we  heard  that  President  Young 
and  several  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  had  returned  from  the 
most  advanced  companies,  and  that  there  would  be  a  meet- 
ing held  at  the  white  oak  grove — the  usual  place  of  meet- 
ing— the  next  day.  There  was  also  a  rumor  in  camp  that 
a  government  recruiting  offcer  had  come  to  enlist  volun- 
teers, for  the  United  States  had  declared  war  against 
Mexico. 

Of  course  this  latter  tidings  was  a  great  surprise,  as 
the  Mormons  had  been  denied   protection  against  mob  vio- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  2$ 

lence  and  had  been  forced  beyond  the  borders  of  civiliza- 
tion in  the  United  States,  and  our  camps  were  stretched  out 
in  an  Indian  country,  from  the  Mississippi  River  to  the 
Missouri.  Surprised  as  we  were  at  the  government's  de- 
mand, we  were  still  more  so  to  think  that  our  leaders  would 
entertain  for  a  moment  the  idea  of  encouraging  compliance 
therewith.  Yet  rumor  said  that  President  Young  and  the 
prominent  men  with  him  had  come  as  recruiting  officers 
as  well. 

All  who  could  be  spared  from  the  tents  went  eagerly 
to  the  White  Oak  grove,  and  there  learned  that  the  rumors 
were  true.  The  United  States  government  demanded  that 
a  battalion  of  live  hundred  men  be  raised  by  the  Mormon 
Church,  then  fleeing  from  mob  violence  for  the  want  of 
protection  by  that  government  whose  right  and  duty  it  was 
to  protect  them.  The  men  of  the  moving  camp  were  re- 
quired to  leave  their  families  in  the  wilderness,  almost 
unprotected,  and  go  to  a  foreign  land  to  tight  their  country's 
battles. 

But  wonders  never  cease.  The  leading  men  among 
the  Mormons — Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Wil- 
ford  Woodruff,  and  others  of  the  Twelve  Apostles — stood 
before  the  people  and  called  for  volunteers  to  engage  in  the 
Mexican  war.  saying  that  the  five  hundred  men  must  be 
raised  if  it  took  the  whole  strength  of  the  camp  to  do  it.  If 
the  young  men  would  not  enlist,  the  middle-aged  and  old 
men  would,  said  President  Young;  the  demand  of  our 
country  should  be  met  if  it  took  the  Twelve  Apostles  and 
the  High  Priests. 

At  the  close  of  the  meeting  there  were  many  who 
were  enthused,  while  others  appeared  confused  and  did  not 
seem  to  catch  the  spirit  of  the  matter.  I  was  not  yet  a 
member  of  the  Church,  but  all  the  old  stories  of  the  war  of 
the  Revolution  and  that  of  1812,  with  the  later  Black  Hawk 
Indian  wars,  brightened  in  my  memory  so  that  the  spirit  of 


24  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

the  patriots  awoke  within  me,  and  although  I  was  averse 
to  war  and  bloodshed.  I  had  a  desire  to  serve  my  country 
in  any  legitimate  way.  Yet  I  felt  that,  as  I  was  under  age, 
and,  as  my  Uncle  Alexander  Stephens  had  decided  to 
enlist,  the  responsibility  of  my  father's  affairs  now  rested 
on  me. 

My  uncle  and  I  were  standing  by  the  roadside  talking 
over  the  situation,  when  along  came  Ezra  T.  Benson,  who 
had  been  recently  selected  as  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles; 
there  also  came  Richmond  Louder,  one  of  my  associates 
from  boyhood,  and  Matthew  Caldwell.  Richmond  Louder 
and  I  had  talked  previously  of  being  baptized  together.  He 
said  they  were  going  down  to  attend  to  that  sacred  ordi- 
nance, and  invited  me  to  accompany  them,  which  I  did 
gladly.  We  went  to  the  south  fork  of  the  Grand  River,  and 
with  Uncle  A.  Stephens  as  a  witness  were  baptized.  This 
was  on  the  7th  of  July,  1846.  Then  we  went  to  the  house 
of  General  Charles  C.  Rich, where  we  were  confirmed,  I  think 
under  the  hands  of  Elders  Willard  Richards  and  Ezra  T. 
Benson,  in  the  presence  of  President  Brigham  Young  and 
others  of  the  Twelve  Apostles. 

This  done,  the  happiest  feeling  of  my  life  came  over 
me.  I  thought  I  would  to  God  that  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  earth  could  experience  what  I  had  done  as  a  witness  of 
the  Gospel.  It  seemed  to  me  that,  if  they  could  see  and 
fee)  as  I  did,  the  whole  of  humankind  would  join  with  us 
in  one  grand  brotherhood,  and  the  universe  would  be 
prepared  for  the  great  Millennial  morn. 

When  we  returned  to  camp,  my  aunts  partook  of  the 
same  feeling  that  had  filled  me.  Then  I  got  the  spirit  to 
enlist,  and  after  a  short  consultation  with  those  most  con- 
cerned they  advised  me  to  lay  the  matter  before  Ezra  T. 
Benson.  Accordingly,  the  next  morning  Uncle  A.  Ste- 
phens and  I  went  over  to  the  grove.  I  told  the  Elder  my 
feelings,  and  the  responsibilities  left  upon  me  by  my  father. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  25 

Elder  Benson  said  the  Spirit's  promptings  to  me  were  right, 
and  I  had  started  right.  He  told  me  to  go  on,  saying  I 
I  would  be  blessed,  mv  father  would  find  no 'fault  with  me, 
his  business  would  not  suffer,  and  I  would  never  be  sorry 
for  the  action  I  had  taken  or  for  my  enlistment.  Every 
word  he  said  to  me  has  been  fulfilled  to  the  very  letter. 

Uncle  Alexander  Stephens  and  I  then  went  to  a  tent 
where  men  were  giving  in  their  names  as  volunteers.  We 
handed  in  our  names,  and  were  enrolled  as  members  of  the 
historic  Mormon  Battalion. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

BTART  FOB  THE  BATTALION  BENDEZVOUI — A  JOURNEY  OF  HARDSHIP— 
IX  THE  MORMONS'  CAMP  <  >X  MISSOURI  RIVER— FIRST  EXPERI- 
ENCES IX  THE  ARMY— BLESSED  V>\  APOSTLE  —  PROPHETIC  AD- 
DRESS  i;V  PRESIDENT  BR1GHAM  5TOUNG—  THE  BATTALION  STARTS 
OX  ITS  LONG  JOURNEY— DOING  CAMP  DUTY— HEAVY  STORMS  AND 
INSUFFICIENT  RATION8— HARD  EXPERIENCES— AT  FORT  LEAVEN- 
WORTH—MEXICAN  MULES  AS  A  CURE  FOR  EGOTISM— COLONEL 
ALLEN  TAKEN  DLL— ON  THE  BANTA  FE  BOAD— SUFFERING  FROM 
THIRST — [CKNESS  AMONG  THE  TROOPS— DR.  «..  B.  SANDERSON,  A 
TYRANNICAL    QUACK— ARMY    MERCHANTS— ORDER   OF  MARCHING. 

IT  was  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  July  9 
when  we  bade  our  friends  an  affectionate  farewell,  and 
started  on  what  we  understood  to  be  a  journey  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-eight  miles,  to  join  the  army  of  the  United 
States  at  our  country's  call.  We  had  provisions  enough  put 
up  to  last  us  on  our  trip.  The  night  previous  our  old  clothes 
had  received  the  necessary  repairs.  Our  preparations  were 
hasty  and  incomplete,  for  we  had  been  told  (by  an  unauthor- 
ized person,  as  we  afterwards  learned)  that  when  we  got  to 
Sarpy's  Point,  on  the  Missouri  River,  we  would  draw  uni- 
2 


26  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

forms,  clothing,  blankets,  and  rations,  and  would  have  to 
cast  aside  our  old  clothes. 

Our  initial  trip  was  begun  without  a  blanket  to  wrap 
ourselves  in,  as  we  thought  we  could  find  shelter  in  the 
camps  along  the  line  of  march.  But  in  this  we  were  mis- 
taken, for  everybody  seemed  to  have  all  they  could  do  to 
shelter  their  own.  The  first  night  we  camped  on  the  bank 
of  a  small  stream,  where  we  fell  in  with  twelve  or  fifteen 
other  volunteers  who  had  not  so  much  as  a  bit  of  bread, 
but  plenty  of  assurance  in  asking  for  what  others  had.  We 
divided  with  them,  then  scraped  what  leaves  we  could  and 
laid  down  thereon,  with  a  chunk  of  wood  for  our  pillow. 
Next  morning  we  divided  our  last  morsel  of  food  with 
what  we  learned  later  were  the  very  roughest  element  of 
the  battalion. 

For  five  days  we  journeyed,  much  of  the  time  in  heavy 
rain  and  deep  mud,  sleeping  on  the  wet  ground  without 
blankets  or  other  kind  of  bedding,  and  living  on  elm  bark 
and  occasionally  a  very  small  ration  of  buttermilk  handed 
to  us  by  humane  sisters  as  we  passed  their  tents.  We 
thought  our  experience  was  pretty  rough,  but  I  do  not 
remember  that  I  heard  murmuring  from  the  lips  of  anyone, 
for  we  felt  that  we  were  in  the  service  of  God  and  our 
country. 

When  we  reached  the  Missouri  River  we  found  that 
some  four  hundred  men  had  rendezvoused  there.  In  the 
camps  of  the  Latter-day  Saints,  close  by,  there  were  some 
thousands  of  men,  women  and  children;  a  brush  bowery 
had  been  erected,  where  the  people  met  for  religious  wor- 
ship. We  soon  found  friends  who  welcomed  us  to  camp, 
and  we  were  invited  to  a  social  dance  and  farewell  party. 
We  had  excellent  music,  the  best  dinner  that  the  country 
could  afford,  and,  above  all,  a  spirit  of  brotherly  love  and 
union  that  I  have  never  seen  surpassed.  With  all  on  the 
altar  of   sacrifice  for   God   and   His   kingdom   and   for  our 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  2  7 

country,  it  seemed  that  everything  and  everybody  looked 
to  the  accomplishment  of  one  grand,  common  cause,  not  a 
dissenting  voice  being  heard  from  anyone. 

July  16,  1846,  we  were  mustered  into  the  service  of 
the  United  States,  and,  under  command  of  Col.  James 
Allen,  marched  down  the  bluffs  to  the  Missouri  bottoms, 
where  we  camped  in  a  cotton  wood  grove.  Some  flour  and 
other  provisions  were  issued  to  us,  and  we  peeled  the  bark 
off  a  tree  for  a  bread  tray  or  kneading  trough.  Some 
rolled  their  dough  around  sticks  and  stuck  or  held  it  before 
the  fire,  and  others  baked  their  bread  in  the  ashes;  for  we 
had  not  yet  drawn  any  camp  equipage.  We  received  one 
blanket  apiece,  and  had  that  charged  up,  the  amount  to  be 
taken  out  of  our  pay. 

I  am  not  writing  a  history  of  the  Mormon  Battalion, 
but  am  relating  my  individual  experiences  in  that  detach- 
ment of  the  United  States  army,  as  I  recollect  them;  so  it 
will  not  be  expected  of  me  to  tell  much  of  what  others  saw, 
or  to  narrate  events  as  they  remember  them,  but  as  they  im- 
pressed themselves  upon  my  mind  at  the  time  of  occurrence. 

Just  before  our  last  farewell  to  friends  at  the  Missouri 
River,  and  preparatory  to  taking  up  our  line  of  march,  we 
were  formed  into  a  hollow  square,  and  President  Brigham 
Young,  with  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  others  of  the  Apostles, 
came  to  our  camp,  rode  into  the  square,  and  gave  us  part- 
ing blessings  and  instructions.  The  words  of  President 
Young,  as  they  fastened  themselves  upon  my  memory, 
were  in  substance  as  follows:  "Now,  brethren,  you  are 
going  as  soldiers  at  your  country's  call.  You  will  travel  in 
a  foreign  land,  in  an  enemy's  country;  and  if  you  will  live 
your  religion,  obey  your  officers,  attend  to  your  prayers, 
and  as  you  travel  in  an  enemy's  land,  hold  sacred  the  prop- 
erty of  the  people,  never  taking  anything  that  does  not 
belong  to  you  only  in  case  of  starvation;  though  you  may 
be   traveling   in   an   enemy's   country,  do  not  disturb   fruit 


28  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

orchards  or  chicken  coops  or  beehives,  do  not  take  anything 
but  what  you  pay  for — although  it  is  customary  for  soldiers 
to  plunder  their  enemies  in  time  of  war,  it  is  wrong — always 
spare  life  when  possible;  if  you  obey  this  counsel,  attending 
to  your  prayers  to  the  Lord,  I  promise  you  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  God  of  Israel  that  not  one  soul  of  you  shall  fall 
by  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  You  will  pass  over  battlefields; 
battles  will  be  fought  in  your  front  and  in  your  rear,  on 
your  right  hand  and  on  your  left,  and  your  enemies  shall 
flee  before  you.  Your  names  shall  be  held  in  honorable 
remembrance  to  the  latest  generation." 

Heber  C.  Kimball  and  other  prominent  men  of  the 
Church  confirmed  what  President  Young  had  said,  and  all 
bade  us  an  affectionate  farewell,  with  "God  bless  you  and 
spare  your  lives." 

Thus  we  set  out  in  good  cheer  on  our  journey  of  more 
than  two  thousand  miles  in  a  section  of  the  continent  wholly 
unknown  to  us. 

In  the  month  of  July,  from  about  the  20th,  we  passed 
down  through  the  towns  and  villages  along  the  river,  for 
two  hundred  miles,  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  The  heat  was 
excessive,  and  the  roads  dusty,  when  we  started  out.  A 
great  part  of  the  way  we  had  only  a  small  ration  of  food, 
for  it  did  not  seem  to  be  in  the  country,  and  we  suffered 
much  from  want.  We  took  regular  turns  in  standing  guard 
around  the  camp  and  in  herding  the  stock.  Heavy  rains 
came  on,  and  for  several  days  we  pressed  forward  amid 
such  terrible  storms  as  I  never  had  experienced  before. 
With  less  than  half  rations,  and  that  badly  or  insufficiently 
cooked,  from  lack  of  proper  utensils  and  experience,  and 
having  to  lie  on  the  ground  without  any  bedding  save  one 
blanket  each,  it  is  a  wonder  the  entire  camp  were  not  down 
sick  instead  of  a  few.  But  with  all  this  hardship  there  were 
no  desertions  and  few  complaints.  Everything  seemed  to 
move  harmoniously  among  the  men. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  29 

The  command  crossed  the  river  at  Fort  Leavenworth, 
Kansas,  and  soon  afterwards  we  drew  a  tent  to  each  mess 
of  six  men.  This  afforded  us  great  relief  at  nights,  pro- 
tecting us  from  the  dews  and  rain;  but  in  the  daytime  the 
whiteness  of  the  tents  seemed  to  intensify  the  heat  so  that 
there  was  no  comfort  in  them.  While  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth we  washed  our  old  clothing  and  made  ourselves  as 
comfortable  as  possible.  Soon  we  drew  camp  equipage  and 
rations  from  the  government.  We  got  flintlock  muskets, 
and  accoutrements  consisting  of  bayonets,  cartridge-boxes, 
straps  and  belts,  canteens,  haversacks,  etc.,  also  a  knapsack 
each.  We  drew  our  first  pay,  forty-two  dollars  each,  sent 
part  of  it  to  our  families,  and  fitted  ourselves  out  with  new 
clothes  and  shoes. 

With  all  the  paraphernalia  of  soldiers,  we  seemed  so 
burdened  as  to  be  able  neither  to  run  nor  to  fight.  Then  to 
be  obliged  to  travel  all  day  under  a  broiling  sun,  or  in  driv- 
ing rain  or  fierce  winds,  across  sandy  deserts  and  over 
trackless  mountains,  going  sometimes  sixty  to  ninety  miles 
without  water,  in  an  enemy's  country — kind  reader,  you 
may  picture  such  scenes  in  your  imagination,  but  it  is 
impossible  for  you  to  realize  the  conditions  except  by  actual 
experience  therein.  It  is  equally  impossible  for  me  to  find 
language  to  describe  fitly  the  situation  at  that  time  at  the 
United  States  military  post  of  Fort  Leavenworth. 

The  place  being  an  outfitting  station  for  United  States 
forces  in  the  war  with  Mexico,  all  was  bustle  and  activity; 
steamboats  were  unloading  material,  and  teams  filled  the 
streets;  many  of  the  new  recruits  were  very  rough  indeed, 
and  drinking  and  fighting  seemed  to  be  their  pastime;  myself 
and  companions  were  amazed  and  shocked  at  the  profane 
and  vulgar  language  and  vile  actions  that  we  were  com- 
pelled to  listen  to  and  witness;  with  all  else,  squads  of 
soldiers  were  being  drilled,  the  bugle  sound  was  frequent, 
as  were  also  the  beating  of  the  drum  and  the  playing  of  the 


30  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

life;  everywhere  the  men  were  preparing  for  victory  or 
death,  and  many  were  so  reckless  they  did  not  seem  to 
care  which  came. 

As  our  battalion  was  preparing  quietly  for  the  great 
march  before  us,  a  band  of  very  small  Mexican  mules  was 
brought  in  to  be  used  as  teams  in  our  transportation  depart- 
ment. The  animals  were  unaccustomed  to  harness,  and 
very  wild,  so  there,  was  a  detail  of  men  from  each  company 
assigned  to  do  the  harnessing.  It  fell  to  my  lot  to  engage 
in  the  work,  and  great  was  my  surprise  to  see  one  of  those 
little  mules  dragging  three  to  live  men  about  the  yards.  I 
thought  T  was  able  to  handle  one  of  the  little  long-eared 
animals  myself,  but  had  the  conceit  taken  out  of  me  in 
quick  order  by  having  my  hands  burned  with  the  rope,  as 
I  was  jerked  and  dragged  about  in  fertilizer  in  the  yards — 
there  being  an  abundance  there.  But  we  accomplished  our 
work,  with  some  sport  and  considerable  cost  to  our  patience 
and  muscular  energy. 

From  the  ioth  to  the  15th  of  August,  companies  A, 
B,  and  C  moved  out  on  the  Santa  Fe  road,  and  in  two  or 
three  days  were  followed  by  companies  D  and  E.  Our 
esteemed  colonel,  James  Allen,  having  been  taken  ill. 
ordered  Captain  Jefferson  Hunt  of  company  A  to  take 
command  until  the  colonel  should  recover  and  settle  up  the 
business  of  outfitting  the  battalion. 

Our  route  lay  over  rolling  hills,  through  some  timbered 
country  and  some  prairie.  The  weather  was  warm,  and 
there  was  much  suffering,  especially  from  lack  of  drinking 
water,  this  being  scarce.  The  sick  felt  the  hardship  par- 
ticularly, and  there  was  quite  a  number  down  with  chills 
and  fever;  such  water  as  was  obtainable  was  of  poor 
quality,  warm  and  unhealthy,  and  added  to  the  number  of 
the  sick. 

Each  company  had  a  large  wagon  and  three  or  four 
yoke  of  oxen  to  haul  the  tents  and  camp  equipage,  and  one 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  3 1 

issue  of  rations,  I  think  it  was  for  one  week.  The  govern- 
ment had  assigned  a  doctor  to  our  command,  George  B. 
Sanderson  of  Platte  County,  Missouri.  He  proved  to  be  so 
cruel  and  tyrannical  as  to  incur  the  ill-will  of  every  man  in 
the  command.  He  had  immediate  charge  of  the  hospital 
wagons,  and  no  matter  how  ill  a  man  was,  he  was  not 
allowed  to  ride  in  the  company's  wagon  until  he  had 
reported  to  this  cruel  quack,  who  had  to  be  honored  with 
the  title  of  physician  and  surgeon.  With  his  permission  a 
man  was  allowed  to  crawl  into  his  company's  wagon,  which 
was  tilled  nearly  to  the  bows  with  tents  and  other  camp 
equipage.  Sometimes  there  would  be  five  or  six  crowded 
in  together,  some  shaking  with  ague  and  others  burning 
with  fever.  Our  company  wagon  was  called  the  Gray  Eagle; 
John  Gilbert  was  the  teamster,  and  did  all  in  his  power  to 
favor  those  of  his  comrades  who  deserved  it. 

Besides  the  company  and  hospital  wagons,  there  were 
sutlers'  or  merchants'  wagons — speculators  that  are  per- 
mitted to  follow  the  army  for  what  they  can  make  off  the 
troops.  They  carry  in  stock  such  things  as  they  know 
from  experience  the  soldier  most  needs,  and  many  luxuries; 
they  had  almost  everything  to  entice  the  famishing  soldier, 
who  had  to  stand  guard  over  them  and  their  stores.  Many 
times,  through  hardships,  wre  seemed  compelled  to  patron- 
ize them.  Our  suffering  was  their  opportunity,  and  they 
were  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  it.  Their  prices  were 
enormous,  and  their  bills  never  failed  to  reach  the  pay- 
master by  each  payday;  after  these  were  paid,  the  soldier 
came  in  for  the  balance,  if  there  was  any.  Some  were  very 
unfortunate  through  sickness,  and  had  to  patronize  the 
sutler,  or  merchant;  others  were  unwise  in  their  purchases; 
and  thus  the  eight  dollars  a  month  wages  often  was  spent 
before  it  was  earned. 

Our  commissary  and  ammunition  department  included 
over  a  hundred  wagons;  the  three  or  four  pieces  of  artillery 


32  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

followed  close  in  our  rear,  in  charge  of  a  wagonmaster  and 
assistants. 

The  usual  order  of  marching,  as  I  remember  it,  was: 
an  advance  guard;  then  the  colonel  and  his  staff;  next  came 
the  body  of  the  command;  then  a  rearguard,  the  baggage 
and  hospital  wagons,  etc.  Only  on  special  occasions  was 
the  main  body  of  the  battalion  permitted  to  march  at  will, 
as  long  as  it  remained  between  the  front  and  rear  guards. 
When  the  country  was  specially  rough,  and  roads  had  to 
be  made,  the  road  hands,  or,  in  military  language,  the  sap- 
pers and  miners,  were  allowed  extra  rations,  and  had  to 
start  out  very  early  with  the  advance  guard. 


CHAPTER   V. 

CROSSING  OF  THE  RAW  RTVER— INDIAN  FARMERS— FIERCE  STORM  OX 
STONE  COAL  CREEK— GROSSING  A  CREEK  WITH  PRECIPITOUS 
BANKS— RUINS  OF  AN  ANCIENT  <  ITY— WAGoXLOAD  OF  SICK  UP- 
BET  IN  A  STREAM— SAD  NEWS  OF  COL.  ALLEN'S  DEATH— DISPUTE 
OYER  HIS  SUCCESSOR— MILITARY  RULES  DISREGARDED  IX  SET- 
TLIXG  Till;  QUESTION— TROOPS  DISSATISFIED—  SICKNESS  EN  (AMP 
—HARSHNESS  OF  THE^NEW  COMMANDER,  LIEUTENANT  COLONEL 
SMITH— BRUTALITY  OF  THE  DOCTOR— DOSES  OF  OBJECTIONABLE 
MEDICINE  IX  AX  OLD  IRON  SPOON— IN  THE  COMANCHE  INDIAN 
COUNTRY— ABUSE  FROM  LIEUTENANT  COLONEL  8MITH— SI  \R<  NY 
OF  FUEL— BUFFALO  CHIPS— COOKING  FOOD  UNDER  GREAT  DIFFI- 
CULTIES—INCREASE OF  SICKNESS— UP  THE  GRAND  VALLEY  OF 
THE  ARKANSAS— DETACHMENT  OF  SICK  SENT  TO  PUEBLO- 
MIRAGES— HERDS  OF  BUFFALO— ON  THE  SICK  LIST— REACH  THE 
ROCKY  MOUNTAINS— PREHISTORIC  RUINS— IX  MEXICAN'  VIL- 
LAGES—ARRIVAL  AT  SANTA  FE. 

WE  crossed  the  Kaw  River  about  the  17th  of  August, 
being  ferried  over  in  flat  boats  by  some  half  civilized 
Delaware  and  Shawnee  Indians.  Where  we  crossed  the 
river  it  was  from  three  to  four  hundred  yards  wide.  The 
country  in  the  neighborhood  seemed  to  be  well  adapted  to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  33 

farming.  The  Indians  had  good  crops  of  corn  and  water- 
melons, and  knew  as  well  as  white  men  how  to  charge  for 
them.  These  Indians  were  an  intelligent-looking  people, 
having  log  cabins  for  dwellings. 

From  the  Kaw  we  traveled  to  Spring  Creek,  over  a 
beautiful  countrv,  and  there  joined  the  companies  that  had 
preceded  us.  We  met  with  rainstorms  that  made  it  very 
disagreeable  for  us  at  night,  when  two  of  us  would  spread 
one  blanket  and  lie  down  on  it.  It  would  wet  through  at 
once;  and  though  we  had  tents  over  us,  we  often  slept  on 
the  wet  ground,  in  wet  clothes. 

Moving  onward  to  Stone  Coal  Creek,  we  there 
endured  one  of  the  severest  storms  of  wind  and  rain  that 
any  of  us  ever  had  experienced.  Nearly  every  tent  was 
blown  down;  several  government  wagons  were  overturned, 
and  others  were  sent  rolling  before  the  wind  as  though 
they  were  express  or  stage  coaches;  many  men  fell  on 
their  faces  and  held  to  the  shrubbery  to  avoid  being  carried 
away  by  the  violence  of  the  hurricane,  while  others  not  so 
fortunate  as  to  be  able  to  catch  hold  of  a  shrub  were  driven 
some  rods  before  the  blast.  Some  were  bruised  and 
others  badly  frightened,  but  none  received  serious  injury; 
and  although  everybody  was  thoroughly  soaked,  not  even 
the  sick  seemed  to  be  unfavorablv  affected  in  health  by 
their  experience. 

The  storm  over  and  our  clothing  dried,  we  resumed 
our  march.  Coming  to  a  deep  creek  with  precipitous 
banks,  we  had  to  hold  the  wagons  back  with  ropes  and  let 
them  down  gradually  to  the  bed  of  the  stream;  then  a 
number  of  men  with  ropes,  on  the  opposite  side,  assisted 
the  teams  in  drawing  the  wagons  up  the  steep  bank.  We 
passed  over  some  very  fine  land  to  a  place  we  named 
Allen's  Grove,  and  camped.  Next  day  we  came  to  the 
ruins  of  a  city  of  the  dim,  distant  past;  the  stone  walls 
were  yet  visible  to  the  traveler.     That  night  we  rested  on 


34  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Beaver  Creek.  On  the  25th  or  26th,  while  traveling- 
through  a  beautiful  country  of  rich  soil,  one  wagon  with 
five  or  six  people  was  upset  into  a  creek,  and  the  occupants 
received  a  dangerous  ducking,  though  I  do  not  recall  any 
serious  results  following. 

It  was  on  this  day  that  a  messenger  from  Fort  Leaven- 
worth overtook  us,  bringing  the  sorrowful  news  of  the 
death  of  our  esteemed  commander,  Colonel  James  Allen. 
It  was  a  sad  blow  to  us,  for  all  had  learned  to  respect,  and, 
indeed,  even  to  love  him.  Yet  I  have  felt  sometimes  that 
it  was  a  kind  providence  to  him  that  he  was  taken  from 
us,  for  his  nature  was  too  kind  and  sympathetic  to  have 
forced  his  men  through  what  the  Mormon  Battalion  had  to 
endure  before  reaching  its  destination. 

Colonel  Allen's  death  left  a  vacancy  in  the  command 
that  was  not  difficult  to  fill  according  to  military  rules,  as  the 
next  officer  in  rank  should  have  occupied  his  place.  But 
plain  as  is  the  military  lawr  on  the  subject,  there  arose  a 
dispute,  and  much  feeling  was  worked  up.  The  council 
of  officers  decided  that,  as  Captain  Jefferson  Hunt  of  com- 
pany A  had  been  placed  in  charge  by  Colonel  Allen  till  the 
latter  should  rejoin  the  command,  he  should  continue  in 
that  position.  Accordingly,  he  led  the  battalion  to  Council 
Grove,  where  it  was  learned  that  Lieutenant  Colonel  Smith 
was  on  the  way,  intending  to  assume  command.  Thus  the 
quiet  of  the  camp  was  again  disturbed,  and  much  feeling 
manifested.  There  were  many  warm  discussions  between 
the  officers  and  among  the  soldiers  as  well. 

It  was  at  Council  Grove  that  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Smith,  Major  Walker,  and  G.  B.  Sanderson  overtook  us. 
The  question  of  command  was  further  discussed,  Captain 
Hunt  standing  up  for  his  rights.  But  in  the  council,  Cap- 
tain Nelson  Higgins  of  Company  D  (my  company)  moved 
that  Smith  should  be  recognized  as  the  commanding  officer; 
this  was  seconded  by  Captain  Davis  of  Company  E;    all 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  35 

the  officers  but  three,  viz.:  Laron  Clark,  Samuel  Gully, 
and  Wesley  W.  Willis,  voted  for  the  motion,  and  the  ques- 
tion was  settled.  Lieutenant  Colonel  A.  J.  Smith  took 
command,  to  the  disgust  of  the  soldiers,  a  large  majority  of 
whom,  if  not  all.  were  quite  dissatisfied.  Next  day  we 
reached  Diamond  Springs,  where  the  battalion  was 
inspected  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Smith. 

At  this  time  there  was  much  sickness  in  camp,  chills 
and  fever  and  mumps.  This  condition  was  produced  by 
frequent  changes  of  drinking  water,  and  by  poorly-cooked 
food,  as  many  times  we  had  to  depend  on  dry  weeds  for 
fuel.  When  a  man  became  sick,  it  had  been  the  custom 
for  him  to  crawl  into  the  company  wagon.  Our  new  com- 
mander soon  dropped  on  the  kindness  of  the  teamster,  and 
put  an  end  to  it  without  mercy.  The  commander  was  so 
rough  and  ungentle,  and  had  so  much  pomposity  and 
assurance,  that  the  whole  command  was  disgusted,  and 
almost  all  were  angry.  He  ordered  the  sick  out  of  the 
wagons,  and  directed  that  before  they  could  ride  they  must 
be  reported  by  the  doctor  as  unable  to  walk,  and  had  to 
take  a  dose  of  the  doctor's  drugs  from  his  old  rusty  spoon. 
We  soon  began  to  realize  that  we  had  fallen  into  bad 
hands. 

The  doctor  often  talked  to  the  men  as  though  they 
were  brutes.  He  was  very  unfeeling,  and  the  men  would 
not  respond  to  his  sick  call  ("Jim  along,  Josey")  when  it 
was  possible  for  them  to  walk  alone.  When  we  stopped 
he  would  sit  in  front  of  his  tent  with  his  book  on  his  knee, 
a  long  chest  of  medicine  before  him,  a  colored  man  for  his 
body  servant,  and  a  hospital  steward  standing  in  front  of 
the  wagon.  At  sick  call,  everyone  who  could  not  walk 
had  to  be  taken  before  the  doctor's  tent,  and  there  be 
seated  or  laid  down,  sometimes  on  the  wet  ground,  then, 
like  going  to  a  mill,  wait  for  his  grist,  or  dose  of  calomel. 
There  was  not  much  chance  to  miss  it,  for,  when  a  man's 


36  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

name  was  called  and  responded  to.  the  hospital  steward 
was  ordered  to  give  him  such  and  such  a  dose,  and  the  old 
iron  spoon,  with  its  contents  of  we  knew  not  what,  was 
presented  in  the  presence  of  the  doctor.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances we  began  to  feel  at  least  the  rigors  of  military 
rule. 

About  this  time  we  entered  the  Comanche  Indian 
country,  and  on  September  2  camped  on  Cottonwood 
Creek.  The  Indians  were  said  to  be  very  hostile,  yet  we 
had  no  trouble  with  them.  I  think  it  was  here  that  we 
began  to  see  signs  of  buffalo,  and  the  prairie  dog  villages. 
Timber  was  very  scarce,  and  the  country  was  more  unin- 
viting than  that  we  had  passed  over. 

Shortly  after  Lieutenant  Colonel  Smith  took  com- 
mand we  were  drawn  up  in  line,  and  some  military  laws 
were  read  to  us.  At  the  end  of  almost  every  sentence 
there  was  the  word  death,  as  punishment  for  infraction  of 
the  law.  We  were  then  talked  to  in  a  most  offensive  and 
domineering  manner,  until  some  of  us  began  to  wonder 
what  we  had  done  to  merit  such  severity  and  downright 
abuse. 

We  were  tired  and  footsore,  and  suffered  much  from 
lack  of  water.  The  country  showed  such  a  sameness  of 
forbidding  features  that  the  journey  became  very  monoton- 
ous and  tiresome.  Fuel  was  so  scarce  that  we  had  to  dig 
trenches  two  or  three  feet  long,  and  eight  or  ten  inches 
wide  and  a  foot  deep,  fill  these  with  dry  grass,  and  start  a 
fire  and  pile  on  buffalo  chips,  with  which  to  do  our  cooking. 
The  result  was  our  food  often  was  half  raw  and  badly 
smoked,  and  many  of  the  men  were  brought  down  with 
severe  diarrheal  complaints.  As  many  had  traveled  the 
road  in  advance  of  us,  even  buffalo  chips  for  fuel  were  so 
scarce  that  often  we  had  to  go  for  miles  to  gather  them. 

When  we  reached  Pawnee  Fork  we  found  it  a  very 
difficult  stream  to  cross.     The  wagons  had  to  be  let  down 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  37 

the  steep  bank  with  ropes,  by  the  men,  and  had  to  be  taken 
up  the  opposite  bank  in  the  same  manner. 

The  events  narrated  here  will  indicate  that  it  is  not  all 
of  a  soldier's  duty  when  on  a  long  march  to  tramp  all  day 
with  musket  and  accoutrements  and  knapsack,  but  the 
soldier  on  such  a  journey  as  we  had  must  push  and  pull 
wagons  up  hill,  hold  them  back  when  going  down  hill, 
haul  them  through  deep  sands,  and  help  them  and  the 
teams  out  of  quicksands;  he  must  stand  guard  and  night- 
herd  stock;  must  press  on,  over  rough  or  smooth  ground, 
rain  or  shine;  must  wade  rivers,  and  when  crossing 
streams  is  not  allowed  to  take  off  his  clothing,  but  has  to 
plunge  into  the  water,  and  then  travel  on  in  wet  clothes; 
besides,  there  are  many  other  experiences  that  are  far  from 
pleasant. 

We  pushed  along  the  best  we  could  to  the  Arkansas 
River,  through  a  very  uninviting  country,  in  which  we 
began  to  find  brackish  water  and  saleratus.  We  traveled 
up  the  broad  river  bottoms  of  the  Arkansas  eighty  to  one 
hundred  miles,  the  water  being  poor  and  unhealthy.  Many 
were  added  to  the  corps  of  --Jim  along,  Joseys,"  and  had  to 
be  led  or  carried  by  their  comrades  to  the  unfeeling  doctor, 
many  times  to  be  cursed  at  by  him,  and  then  to  take  a  dose 
from  his  nauseating  spoon.  Quite  a  number  of  the  sick 
were  badly  salivated  by  the  drugs  given  them. 

About  September  15  or  16.  we  crossed  the  river 
where  the  roads  fork,  one  going  toward  Fort  Benton,  and 
the  other  leading  to  Santa  Fe.  There  we  parted  with 
Captain  Nelson  Higgins,  he  having  been  detailed  to  take  a 
small  squad  of  men  and  the  families  to  a  Spanish  town 
called  Pueblo,  some  hundred  miles  away,  there  to  winter. 
Meanwhile,  we  pushed  our  way  over  barren  plains  and 
sandy  deserts  to  the  Cimmaron  River.  We  saw  deceptive 
rivers,  ponds  and  lakes;  we  chased  after  them  for  miles 
sometimes,  till  we  found  that,  like  jack  o'  lantern  or  will  o' 

273790 


38  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

the  wisp,  we  could  not  get  nearer  to  them.  Finally  we 
learned  that  they  were  mirages — a  peculiar  reflection  of 
the  sun  upon  the  great  plains  or  sandy  deserts.  It  seemed 
impossible  for  the  inexperienced  to  discern  the  difference 
between  the  mirage  and  a  body  of  real  water. 

In  this  barren  country  we  saw  immense  herds  of 
buffalo;  in  our  long  march  we  came  to  ponds  of  water 
made  perfectly  filthy  by  the  buffalo,  and  rendered  offensive 
by  the  broiling  hot  sun,  the  liquid  being  almost  as  thick  as 
gruel;  but  we  were  so  terribly  famished  with  thirst  that  we 
were  glad  to  get  even  such  foul  water. 

When  the  Cimmaron  River  was  reached,  there  was 
good  water,  and  good  feed  for  our  stock,  but  our  rations 
were  reduced  one-third,  and  we  were  pretty  well  worn  down. 

On  the  18th  or  19th  of  September  it  was  my  place  to 
be  on  guard.  I  had  stood  the  journey  very  well,  but  by 
this  time  had  become  affected  by  the  alkali,  and  that  day 
was  so  badly  afflicted  with  diarrhea  as  to  be  almost  unable 
to  drag  myself  into  camp.  But  rather  than  march  to  "Jim 
along,  Josey,"  I  took  my  place  on  guard.  That  night 
there  came  on  one  of  the  most  terrible  storms  I  ever  have 
experienced.  I  had  to  brace  myself  with  my  musket  to 
stand.  From  that  date  I  have  never  been  free  from  pain 
in  the  right  limb,  near  the  instep,  caused  by  the  severe 
exposure.  Next  day  it  became  necessary  to  go  on  the 
sick  list,  to  remain  several  days. 

About  the  23rd  we  began  to  come  to  timber  in  the 
hills,  and  having  been  for  nine  or  ten  days  with  nothing 
but  grass  and  buffalo  chips  for  fuel,  we  were  in  a  situation 
to  appreciate  the  change.  Soon  we  were  among  the  sand- 
hills, where  traveling  was  hard,  and  passed  the  Rabbit 
Ears  (Black  Peak  and  Agua  Fria  Peak),  two  high  moun- 
tain peaks.  In  this  mountainous  region  we  found  traces  of 
the  inhabitants  of  a  past  age,  in  old  stone  walls  and  in 
numerous' irrigation  canals  long  since  dry. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  39 

On  the  2nd  or  3rd  of  October  we  came  to  the  Red 
River.  The  mountain  air  was  bracing,  but  there  were 
many  men  who  vet  remained  sick.  About  this  time  the 
command  was  culled  over  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Smith 
and  the  doctor,  and  all  who  were  considered  able  to  stand 
a  forced  march  to  Santa  Fe  were  ordered  forward  on  the 
double  quick. 

The  sick  men  were  left  to  take  care  of  themselves  as 
best  they  could,  with  the  broken  down  teams  of  the  com- 
mand to  look  after.  My  lot  was  still  with  the  invalids,  and 
of  course  I  had  to  remain.  Yet  we  were  only  about  two 
days  behind  the  strong  men  who  left  us  in  the  mountains; 
we  reached  Santa  Fe  on  October  12th,  having  passed 
through  several  Mexican  villages,  the  houses  of  which 
were  lov\  and  flat-roofed,  and  covered  principally  with 
cement  and  tile.  We  saw  the  very  small  Mexican  sheep 
and  goats,  the  people  milking  the  latter,  by  sitting  at  the 
back  end,  in  an  earthen  pot,  and  there  milking  regardless 
of  anything  that  might  drop  into  the  vessel  intended  for 
milk  only. 

From  the  appearance  of  Santa  Fe  we  had  no  reason 
to  doubt  that  it  was  between  three  and  four  hundred  years 
old;  for  it  looked  at  least  that  far  behind  the  times.  Mexi- 
cans and  Indians,  badly  mixed,  made  up  the  population. 
Their  costume,  manners,  habits,  and  in  fact  everything, 
were  both  strange  and  novel  to  us,  and  of  course  were 
quite  an  attraction.  Many  of  the  people  looked  on  us  with 
suspicion,  and  if  it  had  been  in  their  power  no  doubt  they 
would  have  given  us  a  warm  reception;  others  appeared 
to  be  pleased,  doubtless  because  it  made  trade  better  for 
them,  and  on  that  account  they  seemed  very  friendly. 
They  brought  into  camp,  for  sale,  many  articles  of  food; 
the  strongest  of  these  were  red  pepper  pies,  the  pepper- 
pods  as  large  as  a  teacup,  and  onions  (savoyas)  as  large  as 
saucers,  to  be  eaten  raw  like  turnips. 


40  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

A  few  days'  rest  and  change  of  food  at  Santa  Fe,  and 
the  command  was  ready  to  resume  its  arduous  march. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

EXEMPLAR'S  CONDUCT  OF  THE  MORMON  TROOPS— LIEUTENANT  COL- 
ONEL P.  8T.  GEORGE  COOKE  ARRIVES  AND  ASSUMES  COMMAND— 
A  WELCOME  CHANGE— ANOTHER  DETACHMENT  OP  SICK,  ALSO 
THE  LAUNDRESSES,  SENT  TO  PUEBLO— SELECTING  MEN  TO  CON- 
TINUE THE  JOURNEY  TO  CALIFORNIA— REDUCTNG  THE  BAGGAGE 
—DIFFICULTIES  OF  THE  1,100  MILES  JOURNEY  AHEAD-POOR 
EQUIPMENT  THEREFOR— LEAVE  SANTA  FK-ROADs  OF  HEAVY 
BAND-ON  ONE-THIRD  RATIONS -HARDSHIPS  INCREASE— GALLED 
FEET  AND  GNAWING  STOMACHS -MORE  SICE  MEN  FOB  PUEBLO- 
LEAVING  THE  LAST  WAGONS— MULES  AND  OXEN  IN  A  PACK 
TRAIN— IN  AN  UNKNOWN  COUNTRY— HUNTING  A  PASS  OVER  THE 
MOUNTAINS— ALARM  OF  AN  ENEMY— A  BEAVER  DAM— CROSSING 
THE  RIO  GRANDE  DEL  NORTE— GREAT  SUFFERING  AMONG  THE 
TROOPS. 

WHILE  we  were  in  Santa  Fe,  Colonel  Sterling  Price 
came  in  with  his  cavalry  command,  and  soon  the 
town  prison  was  filled  with  them,  so  that  it  became  neces- 
sary for  a  guard  from  the  Mormon  Battalion  to  be  posted 
at  the  prison.  I  do  not  recall  that  any  of  our  command 
was  put  into  the  prison,  though  it  is  possible  one  or  two 
might  have  been,  for  a  few  of  them  got  rather  too  much 
wine;  but  it  was  a  very  few  who  acted  that  way.  There 
were  many  invalids  of  other  commands  left  to  garrison 
Santa  Fe,  and  they  caused  considerable  disturbance,  many 
of  them  getting  into  prison. 

It  seems  that  word  had  gone  ahead  to  the  Mexican 
town  that  the  Mormons  were  a  very  hard  class  of  outlaws, 
consequently  at  first  we  were  looked  upon  as  "toughs"  of 
the  very  worst  kind.  But  when  the  people  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  see  our  superior   conduct  in  contrast   with   that  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  41 

the  other  troops,  they  realized  the  true  situation,  and  male 
and  female  thronged  our  camp  in  friendly  visit. 

It  was  on  October  13,  1846,  that  Lieutenant  Colonel 
P.  St.  George  Cooke  assumed  command  of  the  Mormon 
Battalion,  having  been  designated  for  that  purpose,  and  by 
this  proceeding  we  were  liberated  from  the  little  tyrant 
Lieutenant  Colonel  A.  J.  Smith. 

By  order  of  Colonel  Cooke,  Captain  James  Brown  of 
Company  C  took  command  of  all  the  sick  that  were  unable 
to  continue  the  journey  to  California;  also  of  most  of  the 
laundresses,  and  a  few  able-bodied  men,  with  directions  to 
go  north  to  Pueblo,  and  join  Captain  Higgins.  In  order  to 
determine  who  were  not  able  to  continue  the  march  to  Cal- 
ifornia, we  were  drawn  up  in  line,  and  the  officers  and  Dr. 
Sanderson  inspected  the  whole  command.  The  doctor 
scrutinized  every  one  of  us,  and  when  he  said  a  man  was 
not  able  to  go.  his  name  was  added  to  Captain  Brown's 
detachment,  whether  the  man  liked  it  or  not;  and  when 
the  doctor  said  a  man  could  make  the  trip,  that  settled  the 
matter.  The  operation  was  much  like  a  cooper  culling 
stave  timber,  or  a  butcher  separating  the  lean  from  the  fat 
sheep. 

My  desire  was  very  strong  to  continue  the  overland 
journey,  and  when  the  doctor  neared  me,  I  braced  up  and 
tried  to  look  brave  and  hardy.  To  the  doctor's  inquiry, 
'•How  do   you   feel?"  my   answer   was,  "First   rate."     He 

looked  at  me  suspiciously  and  said,  "You  look  d d  pale 

and  weak."  then  passed  on,  and  I  was  greatly  relieved  at 
having  gone  safely  through  the  inspection. 

In  order  No.  8,  Colonel  Cooke  called  the  particular 
attention  of  the  company  commanders  to  the  necessity  of 
reducing  baggage  as  much  as  possible;  that  means  for 
transportation  were  very  deficient;  that  the  road  was  almost 
impracticable,  much  of  it  being  in  deep  sand,  and  how  soon 
we  would  have  to  abandon  our  wagons  it  was  impossible  to 
3 


42  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

ascertain;  that  skillets  and  ovens  could  not  be  taken,  and 
but  one  camp-kettle  to  each  mess  of  ten  men. 

Colonel  Cooke  very  properly  and  correctlv  pointed 
out  that  everything  seemed  to  conspire  to  discourage  the 
extraordinary  undertaking  of  marching  the  battalion  1,100 
miles,  for  the  much  greater  part  of  the  way  through  an  un- 
known wilderness,  without  road  or  trail,  and  with  a  wagon 
train.  He  said  the  battalion  was  much  worn  by  traveling 
on  foot,  marching  from  Nauvoo,  Illinois;  their  clothing  was 
very  scant,  there  was  no  money  to  pay  them,  or  clothing 
to  issue;  the  mules  were  utterly  broken  down;  the  quarter- 
master's department  was  out  of  funds  and  its  credit  bad; 
animals  were  scarce,  and  those  procured  were  inferior  and 
deteriorating  every  hour  from  the  lack  of  forage.  All  this 
made  it  necessary  that  such  careful  preparation  as  could 
be  should  be  made  in  advance. 

It  can  be  easily  seen  from  this  statement  that  the  con- 
dition and  prospects  of  the  battalion  were  not  very  encour- 
aging; yet  there  were  very  few  of  the  men  who  had  the 
least  desire  to  retrace  their  steps — they  knew  what  they 
had  passed  through,  but  looking  ahead  they  tried  to  hope 
for  the  best,  realizing,  just  as  they  had  been  told,  that  the 
country  through  which  they  had  to  travel  was  an  unknown 
region. 

With  the  colonel's  orders  carried  out,  we  got  ready  to 
move,  and  about  the  21st  of  October  we  left  Santa  Fe  and 
traveled  six  or  eight  miles  to  a  stream  called  Agua  Fria 
(cold  water).  Grass  for  animals  was  very  short,  the  nights 
were  very  cold,  and  our  road  was  in  heavy  sand  almost 
from  the  start.  Our  advance  was  slow,  for  the  best  teams 
had  been  taken  for  extra  service  or  express  duties  in  other 
departments.  Besides,  there  was  added  to  our  already 
overburdened  animals  the  load  of  sacks,  packsaddles,  lash- 
ing-ropes, etc.,  necessary  in  the  event  of  being  compelled 
to  abandon  the  wagons,  so  we  would  not  be  entirely  with- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  43 

•out  means  of  transportation.  There  was  also  the  burden 
of  sheep  pelts  and  blankets  to  use  under  pack  saddles,  and 
as  most  of  these  were  bought  second-hand,  they  were  well 
stocked  with  the  insects  commonly  called  "greybacks." 

In  a  short  time  we  drew  near  to  the  mountains,  and 
the  weather  became  colder.  Having  but  one  blanket  each 
we  began  to  use  the  pelts  and  saddle-blankets  to  splice  out 
our  scanty  store  of  bedding.  Thus  we  proceeded  over 
-sandy  roads,  through  the  towns  and  villages  of  Spaniards, 
Indians  and  Greasers — the  surroundings  presented  being  of 
such  a  sameness  that  the  journey  became  very  monotonous. 

Soon  after  leaving  Santa  Fe  our  rations  were  reduced 
to  one-third  the  regular  amount  allowed  by  law  to  the 
soldier.  A  detail  of  men  was  called  as  a  substitute  for 
mules,  to  move  and  to  lighten  the  loads  of  the  ammunition 
wagons.  Each  soldier  was  required  to  carry  sixty-four 
rounds  of  cartridges  that  contained  each  a  one-ounce  ball, 
three  buck-shot,  and  powder  enough  to  send  them  where 
they  should  be,  besides  the  heavy  paper  they  were  wrapped 
in,  and  extra  flints  for  the  firelock — about  two  hundred 
ounces  added  to  the  already  overburdened  soldier. 

Now  the  soldier  must  wade  the  tributaries  of  the  Rio 
Grande  del  Norte,  sometimes  waist  deep  and  more,  and  is 
not  allowed  even  to  take  off  his  shoes,  or  any  of  his  wear- 
ing apparel.  An  officer,  perched  on  his  white  mule  on 
•some  point  or  eminence  overlooking  the  whole  command, 
with  a  hawk's  eye  for  keen  military  experience,  calls  to  this 
or  that  squad  of  men,  with  a  horrid  oath,  as  if  they  were 
brutes;  often  he  curses  the  men  until  they  long  for  a  battle 
where  perchance  someone  would  remember  the  tyrant  with 
an  ounce  ball  and  three  buckshot.  And  yet,  if  that  feeling 
were  not  quenched  in  the  soldier's  bosom  it  would  not  re- 
quire an  engagement  with  the  enemy  to  accomplish  the 
deed.  But,  praise  God,  that  feeling  quickly  passed  off  as 
the  men  marched  along,   their   clothes   wet,  and  their  thick 


44  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

soled  cowhide  army  shoes  partly  filled  with  sand — the  chaf- 
ing and  galling  of  the  flesh  without  and  the  gnawing  and 
grinding  of  the  stomach  within  defied  the  mind  to  dwell 
upon  any  one  subject  for  long  at  a  time. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  under  these  conditions  fifty-five 
of  our  comrades  wore  down  and  collapsed  so  they  had  to 
go  on  the  sick  list  and  it  became  necessary  for  Lieutenant 
W.  W.  Willis  to  take  command  of  that  number  of  invalid 
soldiers,  and  join  Captains  Higgins  and  Brown  at  Pueblo? 
This  company  of  sick  and  exhausted  men  left  us,  on  their 
return,  about  the  ioth  or  12th  of  November. 

About  this  time,  the  quartermaster  was  ordered  to 
leave  the  remaining  two  heavy  ox-wagons,  while  the  com- 
pany commanders  were  directed  to  reduce  their  tent-poles 
two-thirds;  that  is,  to  cast  away  all  the  upright  poles  and 
use  muskets  instead,  and  to  put  gores  in  the  back  part  of 
the  tents  so  they  could  shelter  nine  men  in  place  of  six;  we 
were  also  to  leave  one-third  of  the  campkettles. 

Then  came  some  sport  in  putting  packs  on  a  number 
of  our  mules  and  worn-out  oxen.  Some  of  these,  which 
did  not  look  as  though  they  could  travel  a  hundred  miles 
further,  when  the  crupper  was  put  in  place  would  rear  up, 
wheel  around,  and  kick  in  a  most  amusing  style;  nor  did 
they  cease  until  their  strength  failed  them. 

When  this  sport,  if  sport  it  may  be  called,  was  over  we 
began  to  realize  in  a  small  degree  the  gravity  of  our  situ- 
ation. Oar  guides  were  "at  sea."  so  to  speak.  We  were 
in  an  enemy's  land,  with  not  a  soul  in  camp  who  knew  any- 
thing of  the  country.  Men  had  been  sent  ahead  to  hunt  a 
route  for  us  to  travel,  and  every  time,  on  their  return,  they 
reported  impassable  barriers  ahead — rough,  high,  steep 
mountains,  without  springs  of  water  or  creeks,  or  sandy 
plains,  and  barren  deserts  that  it  would  be  impossible  to 
cross.  In  this  dilemma  we  had  to  bear  to  the  south,  along 
the  river,  in  hopes  of  finding  a  pass  to  the  west. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.     BROWN.  45 

One  night,  while  camped  near  the  Rio  Grande  del 
Norte,  we  heard  a  great  noise  as  though  a  band  of  horses 
were  crossing  the  river.  This  created  quite  an  alarm,  as 
there  had  been  rumors  of  Mexicans  revolting.  For  a  short 
time  it  was  thought  it  was  Mexican  cavalry  crossing  to 
attack  us  by  night,  but  on  the  colonel  making  inquiries  of 
the  guides  it  was  learned  that  the  noise  proceeded  from 
beaver  playing  in  the  river.  After  watching  and  listening 
for  a  time,  all  settled  down,  contented  that  there  was  no 
enemy  at  hand. 

On  resuming  our  march  next  day.  we  passed  through 
a  grove  of  cottonwood  trees,  and  saw  where  many  of  them 
had  been  cut  down  by  the  beaver.  Some  of  the  trees  were 
two  feet  or  more  in  diameter,  had  been  cut  off  in  long  sec- 
tions, and  a  surprisingly  large  dam  had  been  constructed  by 
the  beaver  across  the  river.  This  dam  had  caused  to  be 
formed  a  large  pond,  in  which  the  beaver  congregated  at 
•certain  seasons,  for  sport.  Thus  the  mystery  of  our  mid- 
night disturbance  was  solved  to  our  satisfaction. 

We  passed  along  the  sandy  road  to  a  large  bend  in  the 
river,  which  Colonel  Cooke  decided  was  the  place  where 
we  would  cross  the  stream.  He  stationed  himself  on  an  abrupt 
point  of  rock,  from  which  he  could  view  the  whole  proceed- 
ing. Men  were  detailed  from  each  company  to  follow  the 
wagons  through  the  river.  In  order  to  avoid  a  rocky  ridge 
the  stream  had  to  be  crossed  twice  within  quarter  of  a  mile. 
There  were  very  heavy  quicksands,  and  if  the  teams  were 
allowed  to  stop  one  minute  it  was  doubtful  whether  the}7 
could  start  again;  consequently  the  precaution  of  having 
men  close  at  hand  was  very  important,  though  the  average 
soldier  did  not  understand  the  real  reason  for  forcing  him 
into  the  water  without  stripping  off  at  least  part  of  his  rai- 
ment. 

The  crossing  was  made  early  in  the  day,  and  the  water 
was  very  cold,  as  I  had  ample  evidence,  being  one  of  those 


46  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

detailed  to  attend  the  wagons.  Our  comrades  took  our 
muskets  over  the  point  while  we  lifted  at  the  wagons.  As 
the  water  was  waist  deep,  when  the  men  would  stoop  to 
lift  it  would  wet  our  clothing  very  nearly  to  the  armpits; 
our  shoes  also  were  filled  with  sand. 

Wet  and  cold,  almost  chilled,  we  continued  our  march 
through  deep  sands,  pushing  and  pulling  at  the  wagons  till 
our  clothing  dried  on  our  bodies,  our  shoes  became  so  dry 
and  hard  that  walking  was  very  painful  and  difficult,  and 
our  feet  became  raw.  If  this  had  been  all,  we  might  have 
had  less  reason  to  complain;  but  when  an  irritated  officer 
(not  all  the  officers  pursued  such  a  reprehensible  course, 
but  a  few  of  them  did)  swore  at  us  as  if  we  were  brutes, 
when  we  were  already  burdened  almost  beyond  endurance, 
it  is  no  wonder  there  was  an  impulsive  desire  to  retaliate. 
For  my  own  part,  my  feelings  never  were  so  outraged,  and 
the  desire  for  revenge  never  ran  so  high  and  wild  as  then. 
But  we  cooled  down,  though  our  physical  sufferings  were 
not  lessened;  as  we  tramped  on  through  the  sands  we  be- 
came so  weak  it  was  almost  impossible  to  keepour  ankles 
from  striking  together  as  we  walked,  and  our  hard  and  dry 
shoetops  would  cut  our  ankles  till  the  blood  came. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  47 


CHAPTER  VII. 
rr suing  to  the  iwest— overhearing  a  conversation  with  col. 

COOKE— THE  COLONEL  FEARS  THE  MEN  WILL  STARVE- NO  BER- 
RIES. NOT  EVEN  BARK  OF  TREES,  FOR  FOOD-TRF/E  STATE  OF 
AFFAIR-  AS  TO  THE  OUTLOOK  KEPT  FROM  MOST  OF  THE  TROOPS 
—HIDES,  INTESTINES,  AND  EVEN  SOFT  EDGES  OJF  HOOFS  AND 
HORNS  OF  ANIMALS  EATEN— ''BIRD'S  EYE  SOUP."— IN  A  SNOW- 
STORM— RELK  IS  OF  ANCIENT  INHABITANTS— CAMPING  WITHOUT 
WATER— OLD  SILVER  AND  COPPEB  BONES— HARDEST  DAY  OF  THE 
JOURNEY— MEN  APPEAR  AS  II  STRICKEN  WITH  DEATH-THE 
WRITER  80  ILL  AS  TO  BE  UNABLE  To  TRAVEL  LONGER,  AND 
EXPECTS  To  DIE-UNCLE  ALEXANDER  STEPHENS  COMES  WITH 
WATER  AND  REVIVES  HIM— AWFUL  SUFFERING  IN  CAMP— RE- 
PORTED SICK  NEXT  MORNING— BRUTAL  DR.  SANDERSON  GIVES  A 
DEADLT  D08E  OF  LAUDANUM,  BUT  Til  II  WRITES  VOMITS  IT  AFTER 
BEING  MADE  FEARF1  "I.LY  SICK— IN  TERRIBLE  DISTRESS  FOR  DAYS 
— HEALED  BI  THE  LAYING  ON  OF  HANDS  OF  THE  ELDERS  OF  THE 
CHURCH  OF  JESUS  CHRIST  OF  LATTER-DAI  SAINTS. 

IT  was  but  a  little  while  after  this  that  we  left  the  Rio 
Grande  del  Norte,  and  pressed  on  toward  the  west. 
One  day,  while  passing  up  a  brushy  canyon,  mv  place  being 
with  the  advance  guard,  in  the  rear  of  the  road  hands,  I 
had  occasion  to  step  into  the  brush  by  the  roadside.  While 
there,  out  of  sight,  Col.  Cooke  and  staff  and  guides  came 
along  and  stopped  right  opposite  me,  so  close  that  I  dared 
not  move  lest  they  should  see  me.  As  they  came  up,  the 
colonel  inquired  of  the  guides  if  there  were  no  fruit  or 
berries  that  men  could  live  on;  the  reply  was,  no,  not  a 
thing.  They  were  talking  about  some  place  ahead  that 
the  guides  were  acquainted  with.  The  colonel  then  asked 
if  there  were  no  trees  that  had  bark  something  like  elm 
bark,  which  men  could  live  on  for  a  few  days;  but  the 
answer  was  that  there  was  neither  fruit,  roots  nor  bark, 
that  the  country  was  a  barren  waste. 

Upon  receiving  this  information,  the  colonel  exclaimed, 


4$  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

"What  can  we  do?"  In  response,  the  suggestion  was  that 
the  guides  did  not  know  unless  some  of  the  stronger  men 
and  mules  were  sent  on  a  forced  march  to  the  first  place  in 
California,  where  they  could  get  a  bunch  of  beef  cattle  and 
meet  us  on  the  desert  with  them.  There  was  some  further 
conversation,  when  it  was  ended  by  the  colonel  exclaiming, 
with  a  despairing  oath,  "I  expect  the  men  will  starve  to 
death!" 

The  deep  gloom  of  sadness  hung  over  those  who 
knew  of  the  situation.  All  of  the  men,  however,  were  not 
informed  of  the  gravity  of  the  position  we  were  in.  At 
that  time  we  were  drawing  less  than  half  rations.  The 
fresh  meat  we  had  was  more  like  glue  or  jelly  than  beef. 
The  plan  had  been  adopted  of  slaughtering  the  weak  cattle 
first,  so  that  the  stronger  animals  could  travel  faster.  When 
an  animal  became  too  weak  to  hold  up  one  end  of  a  yoke, 
or  to  carry  a  packsaddle,  it  was  slaughtered,  and  the  flesh 
issued  to  the  men.  Not  a  scrap  of  the  animal  would  be 
left  on  the  ground;  the  hide,  intestines — all  was  eaten;  even 
the  tender  or  soft  edges  of  the  hoofs  and  horns  -would  be 
roasted,  and  gnawed  at  so  long  as  a  human  being  possibly 
could  draw  subsistence  therefrom.  Many  times  we  were 
without  water  to  wash  the  offal.  The  bones  would  be 
carried  along,  broken  up,  and  boiled  and  re-boiled,  in  some 
instances  as  long  as  there  could  be  seen  a  single  "bird's  eye" 
(the  name  given  to  solitary  spots  of  grease  that  would  come 
to  the  surface)  of  grease  rise  on  the  water;  then  each  man 
was  eager  for  his  share. 

Sometimes  cattle  became  so  weak  that  men  were  left 
with  them  to  come  up  to  the  command  after  night.  On 
one  occasion,  when  an  old  ox  could  not  be  got  into  camp 
and  had  to  be  left  four  or  five  miles  'back,  men  were  sent 
bright  and  early  next  morning,  to  bring  him  in.  It  snowed 
that  night,  and  in  camp  things  generally  were  disagreeable. 
The  ox  was  brought  in,  slaughtered,  and  issued  to   us  for 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  49 

rations.  If  any  man  had  failed  to  get  his  share  of  that 
white  ox  at  that  time  there  might  have  been  a  row,  but  a 
fair  distribution  maintained  peace.  The  place  of  our  camp 
was  called  White  Ox  Creek,  and  we  laid  by  for  one  day  to 
rest  and  refresh  ourselves. 

From  there  we  traveled  over  a  rough  country,  but  one 
that  evidently  had  been  inhabited  ages  ago,  for  we  found 
stone  walls,  pottery  by  the  acre,  and  old  and  dry  canals — 
their  former  source  of  water  having  disappeared.  We 
found  in  a  rock  a  deep  and  large  hole  with  water  sufficient 
to  supply  the  command;  we  secured  it  by  drawing  all  night, 
until  everything  was  watered.  Then  we  moved  on,  and 
next  night  camped  without  water.  We  passed  many  old 
mines,  supposed  to  be  of  silver  and  copper,  and  there  were 
said  to  be  gold  mines  in  the  vicinity.  Late  at  night  we 
traveled,  and  were  on  the  march  early  the  following  morn- 
ing. All  day  we  pressed  forward  as  rapidly  as  possible, 
there  being  no  water,  and  late  at  night  the  command  came 
to  a  place  called  Dry  Lake. 

That  was  the  hardest  day  for  me  that  came  in  the  ex- 
perience of  the  whole  journey.  I  had  been  run  down  so 
low  with  a  severe  attack  of  dysentery  that  I  could  travel  no 
longer,  and  laid  down.  My  thirst  was  intense,  and  it  did 
not  seem  possible  that  I  could  live  till  morning.  It  seemed 
that  everyone  was  traveling  as  best  he  could,  for  the  rear- 
guard passed  me  without  taking  any  notice.  Men  went  by, 
looking  like  death,  their  mouths  black,  their  eyes  sunken  till 
it  was  difficult  to  recognize  them.  Some  eyes  had  a  staring 
glare,  which  looked  as  if  the  monster  death  were  close  at 
hand.  Yet  the  men  staggered  on,  their  feet  hitting  each 
other,  tit  for  tat,  as  one  was  dragged  past  the  other.  The 
hopes  of  these  men  were  greater  than  mine,  for  I  had  ceased 
to  march.  This  was  the  first  time  I  had  felt  there  was  lit- 
tle reason  to  hope  that  I  would  ever  reach  camp  again,  for 
I  supposed  that  all  the  men  had  passed  me.    The  sun's  rays 


50  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

u 

faded  away  on  the  eastern   mountain   tops,  and  the  brigh 
orb  dropped  beneath  the  western  horizon.     For  a  moment 
I  felt  that  with  me  the  vital   spark   would  soon  sink  below 
the  mortal  horizon,  as  if  to  accompany  the  king  of  day. 

Just  when  my  hopes  were  flickering  as  does  a  can- 
dle when  the  wick  has  all  but  burned  out,  there  came  to 
my  ears  the  sound  as  of  the  tinkling  of  a  tin  can  that  seemed 
to  keep  time  with  a  soldier's  step  as  he  marched.  Gradually 
the  sound  became  more  distinct  until  its  approach  was  a 
certainty.  Then  my  uncle,  Alexander  Stephens,  came  in 
sight.  He  had  been  left  to  bring  up  an  old  spotted  ox  which 
had  failed,  and  had  driven  the  animal  into  the  shade  of  a 
rocky  cliff,  where  the  ox  laid  down,  while  the  driver  hunted 
around  and  found  a  dripping  of  water  as  it  seeped  from  a 
crevice  in  the  rock.  He  had  quenched  his  thirst  and  filled 
his  canteen,  resting  in  the  meantime,  then  followed  on  the 
trail,  pricking  the  ox  with  his  bayonet. 

When  Uncle  Alexander  Stephens  came  up  he  handed 
me  his  canteen,  and  the  draught  of  water  quickly  revived 
me.  I  did  not  think  myself  able  to  rise  to  my  feet,  but  with 
a  little  assistance  I  got  up,  and  took  hold  of  the  packsaddle. 
My  knapsack,  musket  and  accoutrements  were  lashed  to  the 
ox,  and  by  a  final  effort  we  reached  Dry  Lake  camp,  by 
halting  at  short  intervals  along  the  four  miles  we  had  to 
travel. 

Wretched,  wretched  indeed,  was  the  condition  of  the 
command  that  night.  It  is  doubtful  whether  at  any  time 
in  the  long  march  the  men  suffered  more  than  they  did  then 
and  the  forty-eight  hours  preceding.  Next  morning,  at  the 
doctor's  call,  many  had  to  be  helped  by  their  comrades  to 
the  place  designated  for  the  sick. 

For  myself,  two  men  sat  me  upon  the  ground,  and  held 
me  up  till  my  time  came  to  be  questioned.  Dr.  Sanderson 
called  out,  ''What  is  the  matter  with  your"  When  he  re- 
ceived the  information  asked  for  he  remarked  gruffly :  "I've 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  5 1 

a  d d  great  mind  not  to  report  you  sick.     I  never  saw 

such  a  d d  set  of  men  in  my  life.     They  will  not  report 

till  d d  nigh  dead."     I  answered  that   it   did  not  matter 

to  me  whether  he  entered  me   on   the   sick  list  or  not,  for  I 

could  not  walk.     At  this  he  said  sharply.     "Not  a  d d 

word  out  of  you  or  I'll  make  you  walk." 

Then  he  ordered  the  steward  to  give  me  a  dose  of 
castor  oil  and  laudanum,  stating  the  quantity.  The  steward, 
William  Spencer,  said,  "Isn't  it  a  rather  heavy  dose?"  to 
which  the  doctor  responded  with  a  curse,  telling  him  to  do 
as  he  was  ordered.  At  that  the  dose  was  poured  into  a  tea- 
cup, rilling  it  half  full.  It  was  given  to  me,  the  steward  say- 
ing in  a  low  tone  of  voice.  "If  you  do  not  throw  it  up  it  will 
kill  you."  I  was  assisted  back  to  the  company's  wagon, 
and  soon  vomited  the  medicine,  but  not  until  it  had  changed 
my  countenance  so  much  that  the  lieutenant  of  my  company, 
Cyrus  Canfield,  did  not  know  me.  He  came  and  ordered 
me  out  of  the  wagon,  telling  me  to  go  to  my  own  company. 
It  was  sometime  before  he  could  be  convinced  who  I  really 
was,  then  remarked  that  I  looked  so  near  dead  that  he  could 
not  believe  it  was  I.  But  when  he  recognized  me  he  was 
very  kind,  and  was  willing  to  do  anything  he  could  for  my 
relief. 

For  four  days  I  lay  in  a  dull  stupor,  when  that  phase 
of  the  disease  was  checked,  and  a  very  high  fever  set  in. 
My  sufferings  were  so  terrible  that  some  of  my  messmates 
came  into  the  tent,  anointed  me  with  oil.  then  administered 
to  or  prayed  for  me;  and  although  burning  with  a  high 
fever  till  it  seemed  that  I  could  not  live,  I  was  instantly 
healed,  so  that  when  they  took  their  hands  off  the  fever  was 
entirely  gone,  and  I  was  wet  with  perspiration.  From  that 
time  I  began  to  gather  strength.  That  was  my  first  experi- 
ence with  the  ordinance  of  healing  by  the  laying  on  of  hands 
by  the  Elders  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints. 


52  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

ON  THE  SUMMIT  <>K  THE  ROCK!  MOUNTAINS  -CROSSING THE  BACKBONE 
OF  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  CONTINENT— REVIEW  OF  THE  JOUR- 
NEY-GRAVES OPENED  IVY  WOLVES -MUTILATED  BODIES-AN  UN- 
PARALLELED JOURNEY  QF  HARDSHIP— THE  PROSPECT  AHEAD— A 
MATTEK  OF  I. IKK  AND  DEATH— START  DOWN  THE  PACD7IC  SLOPE- 
DESCENDING  THE  CUFFS  WITfl  WAGONS— ONE  VEHICLE  SLIPS 
AND  1-  REDUCED  TO  KTNDLENG  WOOD  AND  SCRAP  IRON— INTO  A 
NEW  CLIMATE-CHANGE  IN  THE  CHARACTEB  OF  VEGETATION- 
WILD  HORSES  AND  CATTLE— ATTACKED  BY  WILD  CATTLE— SEV- 
ERAL MEN  HURT  AND  ONE  MULE  GORED  TO  DEATH— A  NUMBER 
OF  CATTLE  KILLED— SUPPLY  <>K  BEEF— REACH  TilK  SAN  PEDRO 
RIVER— TRAVELING*  THROUGH  A  HEAVY  GROWTH  OF  MESQUIT 
AND  CHAPPARAL— APPROACH  THE  MEXICAN  GARRISONED  TOWN 
OF  TUCSON— NEWS  OF  APPROACH  OF  A  LARGE  AMERICAN  ARMY 
SENT  TO  THE  MEXICANS— ORDER  ISSUED   BY  COLONEL  COOKE. 

AT  the  camp  at  Dry  Lake,  which  we  reached  between 
November  20  and  25,  we  laid  over  a  day,  and  a  party 
was  sent  ahead  to  cut  a  road  over  the  divide.  I  was  too 
weak  for  four  or  five  days  to  take  much  interest  in  what 
passed;  and  in  the  meantime  the  command  reached  and 
crossed  the  divide,  or  summit  of  the  Rocky  Mountains — 
the  backbone  of  the  North  American  continent — where  the 
waters  are  divided,  flowing  on  either  side  to  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  respectively. 

For  eighteen  hundred  miles  the  Mormon  Battalion 
members  had  made  a  hard  and  weary  march.  Starting 
from  Nauvoo,  on  the  Mississippi  River — the  ''father  of 
waters" — as  exiles,  they  had  passed  over  a  lovely  country, 
yet  at  a  season  of  the  year  when  travel  was  difficult,  to  the 
Missouri  River.  At  the  latter  point  the  battalion  was 
mustered  into  service,  and  moved  over  an  excellent  country 
two  hundred  miles  to  Fort  Leavenworth;  thence  through 
what  is  now  the  state  of  Kansas,  passing  over  a  goodly  land 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  53 

to  the  Great  Plains,  a  timberless  country,  where  water  is 
scarce.  There  they  began  to  be  footsore  and  leg-weary, 
and  to  suffer  severely  from  heat  and  thirst.  Soon  they 
came  to  the  desert,  and  for  nine  days  tried  cooking  their 
shortened  rations  over  ''buffalo  chip'7  fires,  with  fuel  even 
scarcer  than  it  was  poor;  often  having  very  little  water, 
and  that  brackish,  so  that  men  and  hearts  began  to  grow 
weak  and  ill. 

At  this  point  in  the  long  journey  they  commenced 
passing  the  open  graves  of  soldiers,  many  of  whom  laid 
down  their  lives  in  the  advance  companies.  Their  graves 
were  open  for  the  reason  that  wolves  had  dug  up  the  dead 
bodies  and  devoured  the  flesh  from  the  bones;  the  blankets 
in  which  the  bodies  were  wrapped  were  torn  to  shreds, 
while  in  some  instances  the  carcass  still  hung  together,  ex- 
cept that  the  fingers  and  toes  had  been  eaten  off  by  wild 
beasts.  The  road  was  also  strewn  with  dead  horses  and 
cattle,  so  that  as  the  battalion  advanced  the  gruesome 
sights  became  more  frequent  and  therefore  excited  less 
comment.  And  in  turn  the  battalion  contributed  a  share 
of  dead  to  the  lonely  graves  of  the  plains. 

Then,  on  the  sandy  roads,  there  was  the  rough  order 
to  put  the  shoulder  to  the  wheel  and  help  the  jaded  teams; 
and  the  battalion  waded  creeks  and  rivers  with  quicksand 
bottoms,  or  lifted  or  pulled  at  ropes  in  lowering  or  raising 
their  wagons  over  rough  and  precipitous  places — in  what 
appeared  at  that  time  a  rough  and  worthless  country,  which 
may  not  have  changed  greatly  since. 

At  times  they  were  called  forward  to  tramp  sand 
roads  for  teams,  and  then  to  return  and  pull  at  ropes  or 
push  at  wagons  which,  without  assistance,  the  teams  could 
not  control.  Then  when  Santa  Fe  was  passed  the  journey 
was  proceeded  upon  with  reduced  rations,  down  the  difficult 
country  along  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte.  Onward  the 
struggle   continued,   over   sandy   deserts     and    through     a 


54  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

rough,  mountainous  region,  where  the  hardships  were 
intense,  and  where  there  seemed  no  eye  to  pity  and  no 
hand  to  pass  even  a  drop  of  water  to  moisten  the  parch- 
ing tongue.  It  was  not  human  capability,  it  was  the  divine 
power  that  sustained  them  in  such  extremities  as  they  had 
to  endure. 

It  was  thus  the  renowned  Mormon  Battalion  toiled  and 
struggled  on  their  journey  to  the  summit  of  the  lofty 
Rocky  Mountain  range — the  crest  of  the  continent —  a 
journey  whose  details  of  privation,  and  peril,  and  patient 
courage,  cannot  be  told  in  human  words,  and  never  can  be 
realized  except  by  those  who  experienced  it.  So  many  lofty 
mountain  spurs  had  been  crossed,  that  the  final  ascent 
seemed  quite  gradual. 

Leaving  now  this  general  survey  of  the  past,  I  recall 
that  from  the  lofty  eminence  we  had  reached  on  our  march, 
the  descent  was  very  abrupt  and  difficult,  through  the  rug- 
ged defiles  to  the  west.  But  with  the  battalion  it  was  a 
case  of  life  and  death.  That  was  no  place  to  remain,  there 
was  no  earthly  help  at  hand,  no  way  to  life  open  but  to 
trust  in  God  and  persevere  in  the  onward  movement.  So 
with  the  pick-axe  and  crow-bar  we  commenced  to  clear  the 
most  feasible  road  down  by  chopping  away  the  shrubbery 
and   brush  and  removing  that  and  the  rocks. 

After  much  of  the  baggage  had  been  taken  down  the 
mountain  one  way  by  pack  animals,  long  ropes  and  guy- 
ropes  were  attached  to  the  wagons  and  the  descent  with 
them  began  by  another  way.  The  wagons  were  lowered 
for  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  or  so,  men  standing  as  best 
they  could  on  the  mountain  side,  letting  the  vehicle  down 
gradually,  then  holding  it  till  other  men  could  get  a  fresh 
footing  and  lower  it  still  further.  Thus  one  by  one  the 
wagons  were  let  down  in  safety,  all  but  one.  By  some 
mishap  that  got  adrift  from  the  men,  and  to  save  their  lives 
they  had  to  let  it  go  until  there  was  nothing  of  it  but  scrap- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  55 

iron  and  kindling-wood.  As  there  was  already  an  abund- 
ance of  the  latter  around  us,  no  one  was  desirous  of  de- 
scending to  the  rugged  depths  of  the  ravine  to  secure  even 
a  relic  of  that  terrible  descent. 

It  was  thought  by  our  commander  and  guides  that  it 
would  require  from  six  to  eight  days  to  make  the  descent, 
but  thanks  to  the  tact  and  skill  of  some  of  our  men  who 
had  been  accustomed  to  frontier  life,  the  work  was  done  in 
two  days,  and  we  were  again  where  the  wagons  could  stand 
on  partially  level  ground. 

In  a  very  brief  space  of  time  we  found  ourselves 
plunged  into  a  warm  climate,  where  we  could  not  see  any 
plant  or  shrub  that  we  had  been  acquainted  with  before. 
There  was  some  small,  scrubby  ash,  sycamore  and  black 
walnut,  but  everything,  even  to  the  rocks,  had  a  strange 
appearance.  We  also  had  entered  the  land  of  wild  horses 
and  cattle,  which  roamed  the  hills  by  thousands.  The  wild 
cattle  became  excited  at  the  rumbling  wagons,  and  gath- 
ered thickly  along  our  way. 

At  last  the  muskets  commenced  to  rattle,  partly 
through  fear,  and  partly  because  we  wanted  beef.  Finally 
a  herd  of  wild  cattle  charged  our  line,  tossed  some  men 
into  the  air.  pierced  others  with  their  horns,  knocking  some 
down,  and  ran  over  others,  attacking  one  light  wagon,  the 
hind  end  of  which  was  lifted  clear  from  the  road.  One 
large  bull  plunged  into  a  six-mule  team,  ran  his  head  under 
the  off-swing  mule,  throwing  him  entirely  over  the  near 
one  and  thrusting  his  horn  into  the  mule's  vitals,  injuring 
our  animal  so  it  had  to  be  left  on  the  ground,  where  it  ex- 
pired in  a  few  minutes.  There  were  several  men  and 
mules  roughly  used  and  bruised,  just  the  number  I  do  not 
now  recall.  The  attacking  party  lost  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  of  their  number  killed,  with  many  others  badly  or 
slightly  wounded. 

We  had  plenty  of  beef  for  a  few  days,  and  might  have 


56  LIFE    OF    A    1'IONEER. 

secured  much  more.  I  never  understood  the  reason  why 
we  were  not  allowed  to  lay  by  and  '-jerk"  an  abundance 
of  meat  for  the  subsequent  use  of  the  command,  but  the 
stop  was  not  permitted.  Many  of  the  men  felt  greatly  dis- 
appointed and  indignant  because  we  were  denied  the  priv- 
ilege of  availing  ourselves  of  this  splendid  opportunity  of 
replenishing  our  scanty  rations.  We  were  half  starving 
at  the  time,  and  perhaps  if  we  had  been  allowed  to  lay  by 
a  few  days  we  would  have  gorged  ourselves  to  our  injury. 
It  may  be  that  would  have  been  more  serious  than  to  have 
stormed,  as  some  did,  at  being  ordered  to  march  on.  It  is 
possible  this  was  the  view  taken  by  our  commander,  though 
we  never  knew. 

Continuing  our  advance  to  lower  levels,  the  climate 
was  mild  and  pleasant..  Our  course  was  northwesterly  un- 
til we  passed  a  deserted  ranch  called  San  Bernardino,  in 
what  is  now  Arizona,  and  followed  clown  the  San  Pedro 
River.  I  think  this  wras  the  south  fork  of  the  Gila  River. 
There  was  some  good  country  along  this  lovely  stream.  It 
was  there  we  first  saw  the  mescal  and  mesquit,  the  former 
being  the  plant  from  which  the  Mexicans  distil  their  whis- 
ky (pulque),  the  latter  a  tree  somewhat  resembling  the 
black  locust,  but  growing  with  a  very  spreading  habit,  mak- 
ing it  difficult  to  travel  among.  In  many  places  it  had  to 
be  cut  down  and  cleared  away  before  we  could  proceed. 
There  was  another  scrubby  tree-growth  which  the  Span- 
iards call  chapparal.  This  brush  grew  very  thick  in  places, 
so  that  in  cutting  it  away  travel  became  very  tedious. 

Here  the  guides  told  Colonel  Cooke  that  if  we  followed 
along  the  stream  it  would  be  a  hundred  miles  farther  than 
if  we  cut  across  the  bend,  but  if  we  took  the  latter  route 
we  would  have  to  pass  through  a  Mexican  fortified  town, 
where  a  body  of  soldiers  had  been  left  to  guard  it  as  an 
outpost.  At  that  time  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  learn  the 
strength  of  the  place;  but  it  was  thought  that  we  might  get 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  57 

some  supplies  of  provisions  and  some  animals.  At  the 
same  time  there  was  considerable  risk  that  we  would  have 
to  fight,  and  perhaps  get  defeated,  in  which  case  it  would 
be  not  only  a  loss  of  property  but  of  life  as  well. 

On  December  12  and  13  we  followed  down  the 
San  Pedro,  our  course  being  nearly  due  north,  near  the 
base  of  a  mountain  extending  towards  the  Gila  River.  The 
guide,  Leroux,  with  others,  returned  from  an  exploration  of 
the  table-land  to  the  west,  leading  to  Tucson.  They  found 
a  party  of  Apache  Indians  and  some  Mexicans  distilling 
mescal,  and  learned  from  them  that  the  Mexican  garrison 
at  Tucson  numbered  about  two  hundred  men.  The  inter- 
preter with  the  guides,  Dr.  Foster,  had  thought  it  proper 
to  go  to  Tucson,  and  Leroux  told  the  Mexicans  to  inform  the 
commander  at  Tucson  that  an  American  army  was  approach- 
ing en  route  to  California;  that  the  advance  guard  num- 
bered about  three  hundred  and  sixty  men,  and  if  it  stopped 
to  drill  it  would  give  time  for  the  main  army  to  come  up; 
that  the  strength  of  the  main  army  could  be  judged  by  the 
size  of  its  vanguard;  and  that  if  Foster  did  not  rejoin  the 
advance  guard  by  a  given  time  it  would  be  understood  that 
he  was  a  prisoner  at  Tucson.  Upon  learning  what  had 
been  done  and  said,  Colonel  Cooke  issued  the  following 
order: 

"Headquarters  Mormon  Battalion,  Camp  on  the  San 
Pedro,  Dec.  13,  1846. 

"Thus  far  on  our  course  to  California  we  have  followed 
the  guides  furnished  us  by  the  general.  These  guides 
now  point  to  Tucson,  a  garrison  town,  as  on  our  road,  and 
assert  that  any  other  course  is  one  hundred  miles  out  of  the 
way,  and  over  a  trackless  wilderness  of  mountains,  rivers 
and  hills.  We  will  march  then  to  Tucson.  We  came  not 
to  make  war  on  Sonora,  and  less  still  to  destroy  an  import- 
ant outpost  of  defense  against  Indians.  But  we  will  take 
the  straight  road  before  us  and  overcome  all  resistance,  but 


58  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

shall  I  remind  you  that  the  American  soldier  ever  shows 
justice  and  kindness  to  the  unarmed  and  unresisting?  The 
property  of  individuals  you  will  hold  sacred;  the  people  of 
Sonora  are  not  our  enemies. 

"By  order  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Cooke. 

"P.  C.  Merrill,  Adjutant." 


CHAPTER    IX. 

ON  THE  TRAIL  TO  TUCSON—EXCITEMENT  IN  THE  TOWN— MEET  MEXI- 
(  AN  SOLDIERS— OUR  NUMBERS  OVERRATED  BY  THE  INDIANS— 
MEXICAN  COMMANDER'UNDER  ORDERS  TO  OPPOSE  CS— COLONEL 
COOKE  ANNOUNCES  HIS  WISH  TO  PASS  ON  WITHOUT  HOSTILI- 
TIES— ARREST  OF  CORPORAL  CASSADURAN,  son  OF  THE  MEXI- 
CAN COMMANDER  AT  TUCSON,  AND  OTHER  MEXICANS  WHO  ARE 
HELD  AS  BOSTAGES  FOR  THE  RETURN  OF  OUR  INTERPRETER— 
THE  INTERPRETER  Is  UBERATED-AN  ARMISTICE  PROPOSED— 
SURRENDER  OF  TUCSON  DEMANDED— MEXICAN  PRISONERS  RE- 
LEASED—SURRENDER IS  REFUSED— COLONEL  COOKE  ORDERS  THE 
BATTALION  TO  PREPARE  FOR  BATTLE -AD  VANCE  TOWARD  THE 
TOWN— FLIGHT  OF  THE  MEXICANS— AT  THE  GATES  OF  TUCSON— 
OUR  LINE  OF  RATTLE— ADDRESS  BY  COLONEL  COOKE— WE  ENTER 
THE  TOWN.  AND  PASS  THROUGH  TO  CAMP— PURCHASES  OF 
WHEAT.  CORN,  ETC.— THE  BATTALION  NEARLY  STARVED— NIGHT 
ALARM  OF  A  MEXICAN  ATTACK— DIFFICULTIES  OF  GETTING  INTO 
LINE— NO  ENEMY  IN  SIGHT— START  ACROSS  THE  GILA  DESERT— 
AGONY  ON  THE  BURNING  SANDS  AND  ALKALI  FLAT-— STRENGTH- 
ENED BY  THE  DIVINE  BLESSING— REACB  THE  GILA  RIVER. 

ON  the  14th  the  battalion  ascended  to  the  plateau, 
traveling  up  hill  for  eight  or  nine  miles,  when  it 
struck  the  trail  leading  to  Tucson.  Colonel  Cooke  selected 
fifty  men,  with  whom  he  pushed  forward.  Passing  the 
vanguard,  he  soon  reached  water,  where  he  found  four  or 
five  Mexican  soldiers  cutting  grass.  Their  arms  and  sad- 
dles were  on  their  horses  near  by,  easily  accessible  to  our 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  59 

men.  But  these  had  no  wish  to  molest  them,  and  the 
Mexicans  appeared  to  pay  little  attention  to  us. 

The  colonel  learned  from  a  Mexican  sergeant  that 
rumors  of  a  large  force  of  American  troops  coming  had 
reached  Tucson,  and  great  excitement  prevailed  in  the 
town.  Of  course  the  colonel,  who  was  possessed  of  general- 
ship as  well  as  a  stern  sense  of  discipline,  took  no  pains  to 
disabuse  the  Mexicans'  minds,  and  thus  possibly  expose  our 
little  army  to  unnecessary  peril.  Indians  who  had  seen  us 
from  a  distance  had  overestimated  largely  our  numbers, 
and  thus  served  to  impress  the  people  of  Sonora  with  the 
accuracy  of  the  statement  made  by  the  guides. 

The  colonel  also  learned  from  the  Mexican  sergeant 
that  the  commander  of  the  garrison  had  orders  from  the 
governor  not  to  allowr  any  armed  force  to  pass  through  the 
town  without  resistance.  A  message  was  therefore  sent  to 
the  commander  by  this  same  sergeant,  saying  that  the 
people  need  not  be  alarmed,  as  we  were  their  friends  and 
would  do  them  no  harm,  as  we  wished  merely  to  purchase 
supplies  and  pass  on. 

The  next  day  we  traveled  about  twelve  miles,  passing 
a  distillery,  and  camped  without  water.  The  battalion 
marched  in  front  of  the  wagons,  to  protect  the  provisions. 
Here  a  new  (to  us)  species  of  cactus  proved  very  trouble- 
some. It  was  jointed,  and  when  an  animal  rubbed  against 
the  thorns  it  broke  loose  at  the  joints,  and  sections  about 
three  inches  long  would  stick  fast  to  the  animal.  The 
same  variety  of  cactus  is  found  in  southern  Utah. 

This  day  a  corporal,  the  son  of  Cassaduran,  commander 
of  the  Mexican  post  at  Tucson,  and  three  Mexican  soldiers 
were  met  with.  They  showed  no  signs  of  fear  until 
Colonel  Cooke  ordered  them  arrested,  when  they  seemed 
terribly  frightened.  On  arriving  at  our  camp,  the  corporal 
was  questioned  by  the  commander  as  to  Dr.  Foster.  He 
said   (and   it   proved   to   be   true)   that    Foster   was    under 


60  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

guard,  but  had  been  requested  earnestly  to  come  with 
them,  and  had  refused.  He  had  feigned  indignation  at  being 
arrested,  lest  the  Mexicans  should  be  suspicious  as  to  our 
numbers  and  should  get  reinforcements  and  fight  us.  As 
he  anticipated,  his  conduct  inspired  them  with  terror. 

One  of  the  Mexican  prisoners  was  released  and  sent 
to  the  garrison  with  two  of  the  guides,  one  of  whom  took 
a  note  to  the  commander  of  the  post,  demanding  Foster's 
release  and  stating  that  the  other  three  Mexicans  were 
held  as  hostages.  About  midnight,  Dr.  Foster  was  brought 
into  camp  by  two  officers,  one  of  whom  was  authorized  to 
arrange  a  special  armistice. 

Colonel  Cooke  sent  a  proposition  to  the  Mexican  com- 
mander that  he  deliver  up  a  few  arms  as  a  guaranty  of 
surrender,  and  that  the  inhabitants  of  Tucson  would  not 
fight  against  the  United  States,  unless  released  as  prisoners 
of  war.  The  Mexican  prisoners  also  were  released.  Our 
camp  at  this  time  was  about  sixteen  miles  from  Tucson; 
and  on  our  advance  the  following  day,  when  a  few  miles 
out,  a  cavalryman  met  us  with  a  note  from  Captain  Cassa- 
duran,  declining  the  proposition  to  surrender.  We  were 
thereupon  ordered  to  load  our  muskets  and  prepare  for  an 
engagement.  We  had  not  traveled  far,  however,  before 
two  other  Mexicans  met  us,  with  the  news  that  the  garrison 
at  Tucson  had  fled,  and  had  forced  most  of  the  inhabitants 
to  leave  the  town.  They  also  had  taken  two  brass  pieces 
of  artillery  with  them.  A  little  later  in  the  day,  about  a 
dozen  well  armed  men,  probably  soldiers  in  citizens'  dress, 
met  and  accompanied  the  battalion  to  Tucson.  But  before 
passing  through  the  gates  a  halt  was  ordered. 

That  morning,  when  we  were  striking  camp  for  the 
march  into  Tucson,   Dr.   Sanderson   opened   up   again    by 

remarking  that  "every  d -d  man  who  could  stand   alone 

ought  to  fall  into  line."  Our  first  move  was  to  form  ranks 
with  everything  in  proper  order  to  make   an  assault  or  re- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  6l 

ceive  a  charge.  Then  we  moved  out  in  line  of  battle. 
When  within  three  or  four  miles  of  the  fort  a  stop  was 
made,  we  were  faced  to  the  right,  and  the  command  came 
to  forward  march,  double-quick  time.  At  that  the  whole 
column  moved  on  a  smart  trot.  Some  of  us,  at  least, 
thought  wTe  were  advancing  upon  an  enemy  that  had  been 
discovered  by  the  commander;  but  when  we  had  gone 
pell-mell  over  cobblerock  and  gullies,  through  brush  and 
cactus,  for  a  distance  of  nearly  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  we 
received  the  command  to  halt.  Then  came  orders  to  left 
face,  file  left,  march.  This  move  brought  us  back  into  the 
road,  where  we  filed  to  the  right  and  marched  on  to  the 
fort. 

At  the  gates  of  the  fort.  Colonel  Cooke  made  a  brief 
speech,  stating  that  the  soldiers  and  citizens  had  fled,  leav- 
ing their  property  behind  and  in  our  power;  that  we  had 
not  come  to  make  war  on  Sonora;  and  that  there  must  not 
be  any  interference  with  the  private  property  of  the  citi- 
zens. 

We  then  marched  through  the  town,  where  a  few 
aged  men  and  women  and  some  children  brought  us  wrater 
and  other  small  tokens  of  respect.  We  made  no  halt  in 
the  village,  which  had  contained  some  four  or  five  hundred 
inhabitants,  of  which  number  all  but  about  a  hundred  had 
fled.  Our  stop  was  made  about  half  a  mile  down  stream 
from  the  place. 

In  the  town  we  made  purchases  of  wheat,  corn,  beans 
and  peas,  which  we  parched  or  boiled.  We  were  so 
near  starved  that  we  could  not  wait  for  this  food  to  be  more 
than  half  cooked  before  we  ate  it.  There  was  no  general 
supply  purchased  at  Tucson,  but  each  man  or  mess  ob- 
tained as  much  as  could  be  with  the  scanty  means  on  hand. 

On  the  night  of  December  17,  Albern  Allen  and  his 
son  Rufus  C.  Allen  had  been  placed  on  picket  guard  above 
Tucson,  with  orders  that  if   any  body   of   men,  say   ten  or 


62  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

more,  appeared,  an  alarm  was  to  be  fired,  and  the  guards 
were  to  run  into  camp.  Sometime  between  midnight  and 
two  o'clock  a  body  of  Mexicans  put  in  an  appearance,  and  the 
alarm  was  given  as  ordered.  The  bugle  sounded  at 
the  colonel's  quarters,  and  soon  Lieutenant  George  Oman, 
who  was  officer  of  the  day.  rushed  through  the  camp, 
shouting,  ''Beat  that  drum;  if  you  cannot  beat  the  drum, 
beat  the  fife!"  The  drum-major,  R.  D.  Sprague,  obeyed 
the  order,  and  hit  the  drum.  Immediately  the  stern  voice 
of  the  colonel  shouted  to  cease  that  music.  In  less  time 
than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  lights  sprang  up  through  the  camp. 
Then  came  the  sharp  command  from  the  colonel,  "Dust 
those  fires!"  and  the  flames  went  out;  the  adjutant  rushed 
through  the  camp  with  orders  to  the  officers  to  form  their 
companies  into  line,  the  men  were  commanded  to  fall  in, 
and  all  was  rustle  and  bustle. 

The  writer  had  been  up  relieving  his  stomach  of  half- 
boiled  wheat,  corn  and  peas,  and  had  just  got  settled  back 
in  bed  when  the  alarm  was  fired,  so  he  heard  all  that  was 
going  on.  As  we  all  slept  in  our  pantaloons,  the  first  thing  I 
thought  of  in  that  country  of  prickly  pears  was  my  boots; 
and  while  reaching  for  these  and  bumping  heads  with 
comrades,  some  of  the  men  whose  muskets  were  used  for 
uprights  for  the  tent  thought  these  the  first  articles  in  the 
emergency  and  seized  them,  the  tent  coming  down  and  the 
ridge-pole  making  another  bump  on  heads.  At  the 
same  time  we  were  all  trapped  in  the  fallen  tent,  which  was 
pinned  down  tight.  I  was  trying  to  get  the  left  boot  on 
the  right  foot,  and  my  footwear  being  rather  small  I  had  no 
easy  job.  All  being  caught  in  the  tent-trap,  the  thought 
came  how  easy  it  would  be  for  a  body  of  Mexican  cavalry 
in  a  charge  to  cut  us  to  pieces,  and  we  soon  burst  through 
the  tent  and  fell  into  line. 

For  the  first  time  in  the  whole  march  the  writer 
brought  up  the  rear  in  getting  to  his  place,  and   received  a 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  63 

rebuke  from  the  officer  in  command,  George  P.  Dykes. 
Right  here,  however,  in  that  brief  experience,  I  learned  a 
lesson  I  have  never  forgotten,  namely,  order  in  dressing 
and  undressing.  We  had  been  in  the  habit  of  putting  our 
clothing  anywhere  and  each  throwing  his  on  top  of  an- 
other's, if  convenience  appeared  to  suggest  it.  so  that  in  the 
dark  it  was  difficult  for  each  to  get  into  his  own  raiment. 
I  realized  then  how  important  it  was  to  have  '-a  place  for 
everything  and  everything  in  its  place;"  hence  to  put  every 
article  of  wearing  apparel  down  so  that  in  the  darkest  hour 
of  night  I  knew  where  to  place  my  hand  on  it,  and  when 
armed  always  to  have  my  weapons  in  the  best  possible 
order  and  where  the  hand  might  be  laid  on  them  without 
any  mistakes. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  confusion,  it  seemed  to  me  we 
were  in  line  of  battle  in  very  short  order,  awaiting  an  at- 
tack of  Mexican  cavalry.  There  was  a  few  minutes'  breath- 
less silence  after  we  were  ready  for  the  assault,  and  no 
enemy  appearing,  reconnoiterirg  parties  were  sent  out  to 
ascertain  the  true  situation.  We  were  held  in  readiness  an 
hour  or  more,  then  learning  that  everything  was  quiet,  were 
permitted  to  retire  to  our  tents,  but  not  without  some  ap- 
prehension of  danger  until  the  dawn  of  day,  which  came 
bright  and  peaceful,  and  we  began  our  march  out  on  what 
was  known  as  the  Ninety-five  Mile  Desert,  which  lay  be- 
tween us  and  the  Gila  River. 

After  the  first  day's  march  on  that  awful  stretch  of 
barren  waste,  we  began  to  straggle  along,  and  before  the 
Gila  was  reached  the  command  was  scattered  along  on  the 
clay  beds  and  sand  strips  for  twenty  miles.  We  traveled 
night  and  day,  not  stopping  at  any  one  place  more  than 
six  hours. 

The  command  was  in  a  most  deplorable  condition  on 
this  journey.  Many  were  the  men  that  lay  down  by  the  way- 
side  without  a  hope   that   they  would   live  to  reach  water, 


64  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

and  often  thinking  that  they  were  behind  the  command. 
But  after  they  had  rested  for  a  few  hours  and  perhaps  dozed 
long  enough  to  dream  that  they  died  on  the  desert,  and 
that  the  wolves  that  were  howling  around  were  dragging 
their  emaciated  carcasses  over  the  sands  or  perchance 
in  the  alkali  pools,  so  strongly  impregnated  with 
poisonous  stuff  that  it  would  consume,  in  a  short  time,  the 
flesh  if  not  the  bones  also,  then  the  thought  of  home  and 
loved  ones  would  come;  and  what  was  sometimes  last, 
though  not  the  least,  would  be  the  memory  of  the  promises 
which  the  servants  of  God  had  made  when  we  left  the 
dear  ones  of  home.  Then  the  worn  and  weary  soldier 
would  stagger  to  his  feet,  survey  the  surroundings,  and 
perhaps  would  catch  sight,  in  the  distance,  of  some  comrade 
who  was  staggering  and  reeling  onward  toward  the  setting 
sun,  and  would  follow  in  his  path. 

So  the  almost  dead  soldier  would  go  on,  his  feet  play- 
ing pit-a-pat  as  they  dragged  past  each  other,  until  his 
limbs  would  refuse  to  carry  him  farther,  and  down  he 
would  go  and  repeat  the  agonizing  experience  of  a  few 
hours  previous.  He  would  also  chew  a  buckshot  or 
two  to  induce  moisture  in  his  parching  tongue,  and  would 
offer  an  earnest  prayer  from  his  humble  soul — -a  further  ex- 
ertion which  he  would  not  have  brought  his  wearied  mind 
to  do  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  confidence  he  placed  in  the 
promises  of  God,  made  through  His  faithful  servants. 

Thus,  dear  reader,  the  renowned  Mormon  Battalion 
passed  forward  across  the  great  Gila  Desert,  almost  with- 
out a  human  reason  to  hope  that  they  would  reach  the  goal, 
and  only  able  to  accomplish  their  aim  through  divine  grace. 
When  they  succeeded  in  reaching  the  banks  of  the  river, 
their  clothes  were  so  tattered  and  torn  that  it  was  with  dif- 
ficulty they  could  cover  their  nakedness. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  65 


CHAPTER   X. 

OX  THE  GILA  RIVER— PIMA  INDIAN  VILLAGE— WELCOME  GIFTS  FROM 
THE  PIMA! — AMONG  THE  MARICOPA  INDIANS— ASLEEP  ON  THE 
TRAIL—VISIT  PROM  A  REAR— LO>>  OF  PROVISIONS  THROUGH  AN 
ATTEMPT  TO  FLOAT  A  QUANTITY  DOWN  THE  GDLA— HARD  TRAVEL- 
ING—CROSSING  III  I :  COLORADO  RIVER— GLOOM  IX  THE  CAMP— 
LOWEB  AND  UPPER  CALIFORNIA— TERRIBLE  MARCB  OVEB  THE 
TXERRACALIENTE.OB  HOT  L  VNDS— DIGGING  WELLS  F  >R  BRACKISH 
WATER— ADVANCE  GUARD  REACH  A  MOUNTAIN  SPRING— WATEB 
CARRIED  BACK  TO  REVIVE  THE  FAINTING  TROOPS— LAST  SPOON- 
FUL OF  FLOUB  USED— DIVIDING  THE  RATIONS— IN  THE  CANTONS 
OF  THE  SIERRA  NEVADA— HEWING  ROAD8  THROUGH  ROCKS  AND 
BRUSH— FEEDING  ON  LIVE  LCORNS  IlND  GREEN  MUSTARD— NEWS 
OF  VICTORIES  15V  UNITED  STATES  TROOPS  IN  CALIFORNIA  -PRE- 
PARING T<>  ENG  USE  THE  RETIRING  MEXICAN  ARMY— FIRST  HOUSE 
BEEN  l\  I  LLTFORNIA—  BEEF  WITHOUT  SALT— TRADE  FOB  ACORN 
MUSH— HEAV*  STORM  Wl>  FLOOD  IN"  CAMP— A  FEW  POUNDS  OF 
FLOUB  SECURED— DANCING  IX  MFD  AN!)  WATER— RECEIVE  OR- 
DERS TO  GO  TO  LOS  ANGELES— DI»  OVEB  A  BODY  OF  TROOPS  IN 
LINE  OF  BATTLE— ADVANCE  TO  THE  ATTACK— SUPPOSED  FOE 
PROVES  T<>  BE  FBIENDLY  INDIANS— PRESENCE  OF  THE  MORMON 
BATTALION  PREVENTS  \N  [NTENDED  ATTEMPT  BY  MEXICANS 
TO  BETAKE  CALDTORNIA,  ALSO  AN  UPRISING  OF  I  LLIFORNIANS 
AGAINST  THE  UNITED  STATES— ON  A  BATTLEFIELD  WHERE  GEN- 
ERAL KEARNEY  HAD  FOUGHT— RELICS  OF  THE  ENCOUNTER- 
PROPHECY  OF  PRESIDENT  BRIGHAM  YOUNG  AND  ITS  FULFILL- 
MENT—SOURCE  OF    III-    INSPIRATION. 

WHERE  we  reached  the  Gila  River  it  was  a  lovely 
stream,  four  or  live  rods  wide;  but  the  country 
was  covered  with  alkali  grass  and  mesquit  brush.  We 
rested  part  of  a  day,  then  proceeded  down  the  river  eight 
or  ten  miles,  coming  to  a  Pima  Indian  village.  The  Pima 
Indians  were  superior  to  any  that  we  had  fallen  in  with 
heretofore.  They  were  an  agricultural  people,  peacefully 
inclined,  and  kind  and  loving  toward  each  other.  Those  in 
the  village  appeared  the   picture  of  good    health.     They 


66  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

came  and  went  by  twos,  the  males  and  females  keepingr 
each  sex,  to  themselves.  They  seemed  the  most  affection- 
ate people  I  had  ever  met;  happy  and  innocent  in  appear- 
ance— a  large  and  handsome  class  of  persons.  Each 
Indian  was  wrapped  in  a  large  home-made  blanket. 

The  Pimas  had  corn,  wheat,  pumpkins,  beans,  and, 
I  think,  peas.  Some  of  the  Indians  noted  our  wretched 
and  starved  condition,  and  cut  up  a  lot  of  pumpkins — as  we 
cut  them  for  cows.  These  they  boiled,  and  handed  to  the 
soldiers  as  the  latter  passed  by  and  took  the  proffered  food 
in  anything  they  could  get  to  hold  the  steaming  hot  vege- 
tables. The  men  were  indeed  thankful  for  these  favors, 
although  they  came  from  Indians. 

It  was  between  the  20th  and  25th  of  December  when 
we  left  the  Pima  Indian  village,  and  passed  down  the  Gila 
River  to  a  broad,  open,  fertile  valley  in  the  Maricopa 
Indian  country.  At  the  Maricopa  Indian  villages  we  met 
many  fine  specimens  of  the  native  inhabitants.  We  traded 
brass  buttons  for  food.  One  brass  button  had  more  pur- 
chasing power  than  a  five  dollar  gold  piece. 

It  was  some  five  or  six  days  before  we  passed  out  of 
the  Maricopas'  farming  country.  There  was  a  large  bend 
in  the  river,  and  we  traveled  three  days  over  a  rough, 
sandy  country  before  we  came  to  the  stream  again.  On 
this  march  we  camped  without  water.  The  writer  was  one 
of  those  who  stood  guard  around  the  stock.  The  feed  was 
so  scarce  that  we  were  kept  running  all  night.  I  was  so 
completely  worn  out  next  day  that  at  about  eleven  a.  m.  I 
sought  rest  by  dropping  out  of  the  command  and  hiding 
from  the  rearguard  behind  a  clump  of  brush  that  grew  on 
a  sand  knoll.  No  sooner  had  I  laid  down  than  I  fell  into  a 
sound  slumber,  oblivious  to  all  danger. 

When  the  writer  awakened  from  that  sleep  the  rear- 
guard had  passed  on  long  before;  the  sun  had  changed 
position  so  that  the  drowsy  soldier  felt  perfectly  lost,  but 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  67 

gradually  he  came  to  realize  that  it  was  three  or  four 
o'clock  p.  m.  Some  six  or  eight  feet  from  where  he  had 
been  lying  he  found  fresh  bear  tracks,  telling  him  of  the 
wild  beast  that  had  been  viewing  him  while  wrapt  in  slum- 
ber. '  He  hurried  forward  on  the  trail,  and  reached  camp 
just  as  the  night  guards  were  being  posted  and  his  com- 
rades were  becoming  greatly  concerned  for  his  safety. 

Our  route  lay  down  the  river,  through  deep  sand  and 
mesquit  brush,  where  we  had  not  only  to  chop  and  clear 
away  the  brush,  but  had  to  push  and  pull  the  wagons  until 
our  souls  as  well  as  our  bodies  were  worn  out.  We 
gathered  mesquit  and  a  kind  of  pod  to  feed  our  mules.  We 
were  six  days  traveling  sixty  miles,  to  the  crossing  of  the 
Colorado  River,  or  Red  River,  as  it  was  called  by  some. 

The  reader  will  not  wonder  that  on  reaching  this 
point  a  mountain  of  gloom  rested  upon  the  whole  command, 
causing  the  men  almost  to  despair  as  they,  on  the  ioth  day 
of  January.  1847,  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  swift-flowing 
Colorado — the  stream  being  half  a  mile  wide  at  that  place — 
with  no  alternative  but  to  wade  across,  pulling  and  pushing 
at  the  wagons,  then  to  cut  and  burn  their  way  out,  through 
the  thick  brush  on  the  bottom  land,  to  the  bench  or  bluff 
that  opened  out  on  a  barren  desert,  known  to  the  Mexicans 
as  Tierra  Caliente,  or  the  Hot  Lands. 

Now  the  command  entered  upon  another  soul-trying 
march.  The  route  from  the  crossing  of  the  Colorado  was 
over  the  northeast  corner  of  Lower  California,  some  sixty 
miles  above  the  Gulf  of  California,  then  into  the  south- 
eastern part  of  Upper  California.  The  stronger  men,  with 
a  little  extra  ration,  preceded  the  main  army,  to  dig  wells 
in  the  desert. 

No  sooner  was  the  almost  hopeless  march  commenced 
than  men  began  to  lag  behind,  so  that  when  the  advance 
guard  came  to  a  halt  at  any  part  of  the  journey,  others 
were  miles  behind.     The  first  day  we  came  to  a  well  that 


68  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

General  Phil.  Kearney  and  his  men  had  dug,  but  it  had 
caved  in  so  badly  that  it  was  almost  as  much  work  to  clean 
it  as  to  dig  a  new  one;  and  when  it  was  cleaned,  our  men 
dug  another.  The  water  was  scant  and  brackish.  We 
remained  at  that  point  only  until  the  rear  of  the  command 
caught  up,  then  proceeded  on  our  way,  stopping  but  a 
short  time  in  any  one  place,  until  we  reached  Cariza,  a 
splendid  spring  near  the  base  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  range  of 
mountains.  The  first  men  to  reach  water  filled  kegs  and 
canteens,  lashed  them  to  the  stouter  animals,  and  hastened 
back  to  succor  and  revive  the  famishing  men  who  were 
bringing  up  the  rear. 

On  that  terrible  march  many  of  the  weaker  men 
despaired  of  ever  reaching  water.  We  passed  several, 
who,  with  sunken  and  glazed  eyes  and  blackened  mouths 
and  looking  as  ghastly  as  death,  stammered  to  us  as  we 
passed  them:  "Goodby,  I  shall  never  live  to  reach  water. 
I  cannot  go  a  step  farther,  but  shall  die  on  this  spot." 
Poor  fellows!  I  verily  believe  that  if  they  had  not  been 
resuscitated  by  the  water  that  was  carried  back,  their 
words  would  have  been  painfully  true  before  the  rising  of 
another  sun. 

If  it  had  not  been  for  some  fresh  mules  and  beef  cattle 
that  we  met  on  this  tedious  march,  we  never  could  have 
got  through  with  the  wagons,  and  possibly  would  have  lost 
some  men,  as  our  flour  had  given  out  and  we  were  reduced 
so  near  to  starvation  as  to  eat  every  particle  of  the  worn- 
out  beef  ox;  even  the  tender  part  of  the  horns  and  hoofs, 
and  the  intestines,  were  broiled  on  the  coals  and  eaten, 
without  water  to  wash  them. 

In  our  mess,  the  last  spoonful  of  flour  was  made  into  a 
thin  gravy  by  stirring  it  into  some  water  where  some  of 
our  glue-like  beef  had  been  boiled.  This  so-called  gravy 
was  divided  among  the  men  by  spoonfuls,  then  the  pan  was 
scraped  with  a  table  knife  and  wiped  into  a  spoon,  and  with 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  69 

the  point  of  the  same  knife  it  was  divided  into  seven  parts. 
Each  man  watched  the  division;  and  I  do  not  believe  there 
was  one  man  out  of  the  seven  but  would  have  fought  for 
his  share  of  that  spoonful  of  pan-scrapings.  Nor  do  I 
believe  there  was  one  of  them  who  would  have  robbed  his 
comrades.  For  the  last  three  or  four  hundred  miles  we 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  cooking  the  food,  and  dividing  it 
into  seven  equal  parts.  Then  one  man  would  turn  his 
back,  and  the  cook  or  the  one  who  made  the  division  would 
touch  each  morsel  and  say,  "Who  shall  have  that?"  where- 
upon the  one  whose  back  was  turned  would  say,  so  and  so, 
calling  each  messmate  by  name,  until  all  had  been  "touched 
off,"  as  we  used  to  call  it. 

From  our  camp  at  the  spring  we  passed  into  the  can- 
yons of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  The  days  had  been  excessively 
hot  on  the  desert,  and  it  was  very  cold  and  frosty  in  the 
mountains  at  night.  We  soon  came  to  where  the  canyons 
were  too  narrow  for  our  wagons;  then  with  crowbar  and 
pickaxe  and  sledge  we  went  at  the  jagged  rocks  until  the 
pass  was  sufficiently  widened,  and  with  our  shoulders  to  the 
wheels  or  by  tugging  at  ropes  we  got  our  train  to  the  sum- 
mit. 

It  was  while  passing  through  this  range  of  mountains 
that  we  first  saw  live-oak  acorns.  They  were  bitter  as 
wormwood;  yet  we  ate  considerable  quantities  of  them,  and 
as  we  descended  the  western  slope  they  became  very  abun- 
dant, and  served  for  a  change.  As  we  passed  down  to  the 
valleys  we  found  green  mustard,  which  was  boiled  and  eaten 
without  pepper  or  salt. 

About  this  time  one  of  our  guides  or  interpreters 
brought  word  from  the  governor  of  San  Diego  that  several 
battles  had  been  fought  by  the  California  troops  and  United 
States  forces,  and  that  we  might  meet  a  large  Mexican  army 
retreating  to  Sonora.  In  consequence  of  receiving  this  news, 
Colonel  Cooke  ordered  a  drill.     We  had  secured  a  few  beef 


70  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

cattle  and  some  fresh  mules,  and  with  this  increase  of 
strength  and  the  prospect  of  engaging  the  Mexicans  we  were 
spurred  on  from  one  mountain  summit  to  another,  pushing 
and  pulling  the  wagons — a  business  we  were  well  versed 
in.  from  oft  repeated  lessons. 

At  Warner's  Ranch,  we  came  to  the  first  house  we  had 
seen  in  California.  Mr.  Warner  hailed  from  the  state  of 
Massachusetts.  From  him  the  colonel  purchased  two  or 
three  fat  beeves.  The  beef  was  good,  yet  we  had  nothing 
to  eat  with  it,  not  even  pepper  or  salt  for  seasoning,  and  it 
did  not  satisfy  the  cravings  of  hunger.  We  rested  a  day  at 
the  ranch,  and  some  of  us  wandered  off  up  the  creek  in 
hopes  of  finding  wild  fruit  or  game.  We  came  to  a  small 
camp  of  Indians  who  were  engaged  in  hulling  and  leaching 
live-oak  acorns,  then  pounding  them  to  a  pulp  in  stone 
mortars;  this  was  boiled  to  a  thick  mush  in  home-made 
earthen  pots.  The  writer  bantered  one  of  the  old  ladies  for 
about  three  or  four  quarts  of  that  cold-ochre  mush,  by  offer- 
ing her  the  belt  that  held  his  pantaloons  in  place.  She 
accepted  the  offer,  and  he,  being  without  proper  utensil  to 
receive  his  purchase,  substituted  his  hat  for  a  pan,  and  the 
mush  was  scooped  into  it.  Then  when  he  found  himself 
in  the  dilemma  of  his  pantaloons  threatening  to  desert  him, 
he  seized  the  alternative  of  holding  up  that  portion  of  his 
attire  with  one  hand,  and  carrying  his  hat  and  its  contents 
in  the  other,  and  proceeded  to  camp,  where  his  purchase 
was  divided  and  devoured  as  a  sweet  morsel. 

From  Warner's  Ranch  we  traveled  over  low  hills  and 
camped  on  a  little  narrow  flat  between  two  hills.  In  the 
night  it  came  on  to  rain  terribly,  and  the  flat  was  so  flooded 
that  we  awoke  to  find  ourselves  half-side  deep  in  water.  At 
dawn  one  of  the  boys  crawled  out  of  the  water  and  wet 
blankets,  and  crowed;  for  he  had  learned  that  the  men  who 
had  been  sent  back  to  recover  some  flour  which  had  been 
.left  in  the  boat  had  come  in  with  about  four  hundred  pounds. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  7 1 

Soon  every  man  in  camp  had  heard  the  glad  tidings  of  the 
arrival  of  this  expedition,  about  which  there  had  been  much 
anxiety. 

In  a  short  time  the  writer  was  called  on  by  the  orderly 
sergeant  of  his  company,  D,  to  go  with  him  and  receive  the 
portion  of  flour  to  be  issued  to  the  company.  At  the  door 
of  the  tent  where  the  flour  was  being  divided  we  met  Col. 
Cooke,  who  was  sitting  with  his  head  down,  as  if  in  deep 
study.  Some  of  the  boys  had  found  a  riddle  that  had  fared 
better  than  its  owner,  and  near  by  one  of  them  struck  up 
the  tune  of  ''Leather  Breeches  Full  of  Stitches,"  or  some 
similar  lively  air.  Immediately  a  number  of  men  formed  a 
couple  of  French  fours  and  began  dancing  in  water  half  to 
their  shoe  tops.  The  colonel  caught  the  sound,  started  up, 
and  inquired  what  it  was.  Some  one  replied,  "Oh,  nothing, 
only  the  boys  are  dancing  and  making  merry  over  the  pros- 
pect of  getting  a  little  flour."     The   colonel   shrugged   his 

shoulders  and  remarked,  "I  never  saw  such  a  d d  set  of 

men  before  in  my  life.  If  they  can  get  out  somewhere  so 
they  can  dry  their  clothes  and  have  a  little  flour  they  will 
be  as  happy  as  gods!" 

Doubtless  the  colonel  could  call  to  mind  often  having 
seen  us  stagger  into  camp,  and  perhaps  could  remember  a 
dozen  or  so  of  us  rush  to  where  his  mule  was  being  fed 
corn  mixed  with  beans,  which  the  well-fed  mule  would 
object  to  by  throwing  his  head  first  one  way,  then  the  other, 
scattering  the  half-chewed  corn  and  beans  in  the  sand, 
where  the  hungry  soldiers  would  pick  it  from,  rub  it  in  their 
hands,  and  eat  it  raw;  for  to  the  famishing  soldier  beans  are 
not  so  objectionable. 

I  am  reminded  at  this  point  in  my  narrative  that  three 
croaking  ravens  had  followed  the  command  nearly  all  the 
way  from  Santa  Fe,  for  the  bits  that  escaped  the  soldier's 
eye.  Surely  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  ravens'  keener  vision 
they  would  have  left  in  disgust,  and  would  have  given  us  a 


72  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER- 

very  hard  name.  Even  the  wolf  might  have  told  his  fel~ 
lows  not  to  follow  such  a  greedy  lot,  which  did  not  leave  a 
bone  till  it  was  pounded  and  boiled  and  re-boiled  till  it  could 
not  be  scented,  and  if  perchance  a  bit  was  found  it  was  too 
hard  for  even  wolves'  teeth. 

From  this  camp  we  moved  to  the  west  under  orders 
from  General  Kearney  to  go  to  Los  Angeles.  While  on 
the  march  toward  that  point,  just  as  we  emerged  from  a  can- 
yon, we  heard  the  drum  and  fife  in  an  open  valley.  Soon  we 
saw  a  military  force  forming  in  line  of  battle,  and  as  we  drew 
nearer  we  discovered  their  spears  or  lances  gleaming  in  the 
sunlight,  and  officers  dashing  up  and  down  the  lines  giving 
commands.  Our  advance  guard  slowed  up,  and  we  were 
ordered  to  form  in  line  of  battle.  Every  officer  took  his 
place,  the  command  dressed  in  proper  order,  and,  as  we 
advanced,  comrades  looked  into  each  other's  faces  as  if  to 
say,  "How  do  you  feel  about  it?"  One  asked  Alexander 
Stephens  the  question,  and  received  a  prompt  reply,  "First- 
rate.  I  had  as  lief  go  into  battle  as  not.  If  we  must  die, 
the  sooner  the  better,  for  it  seems  that  we  must  be  worn 
till  we  starve  and  die  anyhow.  I  do  not  fear  death  a  par- 
ticle." Others  were  heard  to  say  as  much,  and  although 
the  ashy  look  of  death  shone  in  many  faces,  from  the  priva- 
tions undergone.  I  do  not  think  there  was  a  tremor  in  any 
heart,  or  a  single  man  who  showred  the  white  feather. 

As  we  drew  near  the  force  in  our  path,  there  was  a 
dead  silence,  as  if  awaiting  the  order  to  wheel  into  line  and 
open  fire,  for  we  were  within  rifle  range.  Just  then  two  of 
the  opposite  party  came  out  on  horseback  to  meet  us.  The 
colonel  sent  two  of  our  interpreters  forward,  and  the  com- 
mand wTas  halted.  Soon  our  guides  returned  and  stated 
that  the  supposed  foe  was  a  band  of  Indians  which  had  had 
a  battle  with  Mexicans  in  the  vicinity  a  few  days  before, 
and   the    Indians   had  returned  to   bury  their  dead.    They 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  73 

had  taken  us  for  enemies,  but  their  fears  were  turned  into 
joy  on  discovering  that  we  were  American  soldiers. 

With  all  our  bravery,  there  was  a  sigh  of  relief  when 
we  heard  the  news  that  our  supposed  enemies  were  friends. 
It  was  now  late  in  the  day.  and  both  parties  went  into  camp 
within  a  short  distance  of  each  other.  Friendly  visits  back 
and  forth  were  made  that  evening.  The  Indians  were 
dressed  in  Spanish  costume  and  were  armed  the  same  as 
the  Mexicans;  as  I  remember  them  they  displayed  bravery, 
and  some  skill  in  Mexican  militarv  tactics. 

Next  day  we  proceeded  on  our  way,  and  passed  down 
a  dry  wash,  the  bottom  of  which  was  mostly  lined  with  a 
whitish  cobblestone,  upon  which  the  feet  of  some  comrade 
showed  blood  at  every  step  for  a  hundred  yards  or  more. 
I  cannot  now  recall  the  man's  name.  We  continued  our 
march  from  that  place,  and  afterwards  learned  that  the 
Mexicans  had  intended  to  make  an  effort  to  regain  Cali- 
fornia, but  the  timely  arrival  of  the  battalion  prevented  any 
attempt  to  execute  the  movement. 

So  far  as  I  can  remember,  it  was  between  January  23 
and  27,  1847,  that  we  passed  over  a  battlefield  where  Gen- 
eral Kearney  and  his  little  command  had  fought  and  beaten 
the  Mexicans.  There  lay  broken  swords  and  firearms,  and 
dead  horses  and  mules;  and  there  also  were  the  graves  of 
the  slain,  while  all  around  the  blood-stained  soil  was  plainly 
within  our  view,  fixing  the  scene  upon  our  memory. 

Here  came  to  our  minds  the  words  of  President  Brig- 
ham  Young,  in  his  farewell  address  to  the  battalion,  in 
which  he  said:  '-You  are  now  going  into  an  enemy's  land 
at  your  country's  call.  If  you  will  live  your  religion,  obey 
and  respect  your  officers,  and  hold  sacred  the  property  of 
the  people  among  whom  you  travel,  and  never  take  any- 
thing but  what  you  pay  for,  I  promise  you  in  the  name  of 
Israel's  God  that  not  one  of  you  shall  fall  by  the  hand  of  an 
enemy.  Though  there  will  be  battles  fought  in  your  front 
5 


74  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

and  in  your  rear,  on  your  right  hand  and  on  your  left,  you 
will-  not  have  any  fighting  to  do  except  with  wild  beasts." 
Here  I  pause  and  ask:  Who  on  earth  dare  to  make, 
of  himself,  such  a  promise,  under  the  circumstances  and  in 
the  name  that  this  promise  had  been  made?  And  yet  over 
three  hundred  men  who  heard  it  could  stand  up  after  they 
had  filled  the  time  of  their  enlistment,  and  before  high  heaven 
and  all  the  world  could  bear  testimony  to  the  literal  fulfill- 
ment of  those  words  spoken  eight  months  before,  in  the 
camp  in  Missouri  Valley,  two  thousand  miles  distant.  I  ask 
the  honest  reader:  From  whence  came  such  foresight,  if 
not  from  the  Eternal  God,  the  Creator  of  the  heavens  and 
the  earth,  and  all  things  therein?  To  Him  we  ascribe  all 
honor  and  glory,  power  and  praise,  for  our  success  in  that 
great,  wonderful  and  unparalleled  march  of  twenty-five  hun- 
dred miles  made  by  infantry.  Who  shall  say  that  God  had 
not  made  bare  His  arm  in  support  of  that  ever  memorable 
Mormon  Battalion?  But  as  yet  the  whole  task  of  the  bat- 
talion had  not  been  completed. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  75 


CHAPTER    XL 

ORDERED  TO  SAX  DIEGO— FIRST  VIEW  OF  THE  PACIFIC  OCEAN— RUMORS 
OF  THE  ENEMY  — COMPLIMENTARY  ORDER,  BY  LIEUT.  COL. 
COOKE,  ON  THE  ACHIEVEMENTS  OF  THE  MORMON  BATTALION 
—REPORTED  HOSTILITY  OF  COL.  FREMONT  TO  GEN.  KEARNEY 
—LIVING  ON  REEE  ALONE— OBTAIN  SOME  FLOUR-ROUTINE  OF 
THE  (AMP-ORDERED  TO  L<  >s  ANGELES— DAMAGE  BY  AN  EARTH- 
QUAKE—WILD HORSES  AND  CATTLE  DRIVEN  INTO  THE  SEA— 
ARRIVAL  AT  LOS  ANGELE  —  RUMORS  OF  AN  ATTACK— CONSTRUCT- 
ING A  FORT— GUARDING  CAJON  PASS— SURROUNDED  BY  WILD 
CATTLE— TAKE  REFUGE  IX  A  RAVINE— COL.  FREMONT  ARRESTED 
—SITE  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO— GETTING  OUT  A  LIBERTY  POLE- 
BRUSH  WITH  THE  INDIAN: — CLEARING  LOS  ANGELES  OF  DOGS- 
WICKEDNESS  IN  THE  TOWN— BRUTALITY  OF  BULL  FIGHTS,  HORSE 
BA(  IN«..  ETC.— ALWAYS  READY  FOB  AN  \TTA<  K— FIRST  RAIS- 
ING OF  THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES  ON  A  LIBERTY  POLE  IN  CALI- 
FORNIA 

ORDERS  had  been  received  changing  our  destination 
from  Los  Angeles  to  San  Diego,  passing  by  way  of 
the  Mission  San  Luis  del  Rey.  When  we  reached  the  San 
Diego  Mission  we  passed  it  by  and  camped  between  it  and 
the  town.  It  was  en  route  to  this  place  that  we  came  in  sight 
of  the  waters  of  the  great  Pacific  Ocean,  a  view  that  was 
most  pleasurable  to  us,  and  which  we  hailed  with  shouts  of 
joy,  as  we  felt  that  our  long  march  of  starvation  was  about 
over.  We  were  now  drawing  five  pounds  of  fair  beef,  with- 
out salt  or  pepper. 

Another  day's  march,  and  we  had  completed  the  journey 
over  the  nation's  highway  across  the  continent.  We  were 
allowed  one  day  at  San  Diego,  when  we  were  ordered  back 
to  the  San  Luis  del  Rey  Mission.  There  was  some  dis- 
appointment, but  the  order  to  return  was  obeyed  without 
murmuring.     It  was  thought  we  would  meet  the  enemy,  as 


76  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

it  was  said  there  was  a  force  of  about  eighteen  hundred 
Californians,  under  General  Flores,  lurking  in  the  mountains 
northwest  of  San  Luis  del  Rey  Mission,  but  we  did  not 
see  them.  At  the  Mission  we  were  required  to  do  fatigue 
duty,  as  it  was  called,  which  included  cleaning  up  the  place, 
it  having  been  neglected  a  long  time.  At  this  place  the 
following  was  issued  by  Col.  Cooke: 

"Headquarters,  Mission  of  San  Diego, 

"January  30,  1847. 

"Lieutenant  Colonel  commanding  congratulates  the 
battalion  on  its  safe  arrival  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  and  the  conclusion  of  its  march  of  over  two  thousand 
miles.  History  may  be  searched  in  vain  for  an  equal  march 
of  infantry;  nine-tenths  of  it  through  a  wilderness,  where 
nothirg  but  savages  and  wild  beasts  are  found,  or  deserts 
where,  for  want  of  water,  there  is  no  living  creature.  There, 
with  almost  hopeless  labor,  we  have  dug  deep  wells, 
which  the  future  traveler  will  enjoy.  Without  a  guide 
who  had  traversed  them,  we  have  ventured  into  trackless 
prairies,  where  water  was  not  found  for  several  marches. 
With  crowbar  and  pickaxe  in  hand,  we  have  worked  our 
way  over  mountains,  which  seemed  to  defy  aught  save  the 
wild  goat,  and  hewed  a  passage  through  a  chasm  of  living 
rock  more  narrow  than  our  wagons.  To  bring  these  first 
wagons  to  the  Pacific,  we  have  preserved  the  strength  of 
the  mules  by  herding  them  over  large  tracts,  which  you 
have  laboriously  guarded  without  loss. 

"The  garrison  of  four  presidios  of  Sonora,  concentrated 
within  the  walls  of  Tucson,  gave  us  no  pause;  we  drove 
them  out  with  their  artillery;  but  our  intercourse  with  the 
citizens  was  unmarked  by  a  single  act  of  injustice.  Thus 
marching,  half  naked  and  half  fed,  and  living  upon  wild 
animals,  we  have  discovered  and  made  a  road  of  great  value 
to  our  country. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  77 

•Arrived  at  the  first  settlement  of  California,  after  a 
single  day's  rest,  you  cheerfully  turned  off  from  the  route  to 
this  point  of  promised  repose,  to  enter  upon  a  campaign, 
and  meet,  as  we  believed,  the  approach  of  the  enemy;  and 
this.  too.  without  even  salt  to  season  your  sole  subsistence 
of  fresh  meat. 

•'Lieutenants  A.J.  Smith  and  George  Stoneman  of  the 
First  Dragoons,  have  shared  and  given  valuable  aid  in  all 
these  labors. 

••Thus,  volunteers,  you  have  exhibited  some  high  and 
essential  qualities  of  veterans.  But  much  remains  undone. 
Soon  you  will  turn  your  strict  attention  to  the  drill,  to  sys- 
tem and  order,  to  forms  also,  which  are  all  necessary  to  the 
soldier. 

"By  order  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  P.  St.  George  Cooke. 
[Signed.]  "P.  C.  Merrill,  Adjutant." 

It  is  stated  by  Sergeant  Daniel  Tyler,  in  his  '-Historv 
of  the  Mormon  Battalion,"  that  February  4th  was  the  date 
of  the  reading  of  the  order.  Its  spirit  and  tone  were  an 
agreeable  surprise  to  us,  as  the  general  tenor  of  the  colonel's 
course  had  been  so  different,  apparently,  that  we  did  not 
look  for  him  to  do  the  battalion  justice.  Yet  if  he  had  been 
less  stern  and  decisive,  it  would  have  been  worse  for  us. 
We  had  stern  realities  to  deal  with,  consequently  like  means 
were  necessary  to  overcome  the  obstacles  we  had  to  con- 
tend with.  It  required  push  and  vim  to  enable  the  battalion 
to  perform  the  heroic  deeds  demanded  of  it,  and  a  sympathy 
that  would  have  caused  the  men  to  shrink  back  instead  of 
seeing  that  every  one  stood  to  his  post  of  duty  would  have 
been  a  fatal  error.  After  all,  Col.  P.  St.  George  Cooke  was 
a  good  military  commander,  maintaining  excellent  military 
discipline;  and  for  one  the  writer  feels  to  say,  Peaceful  be 
his  sleep. 

It  was  about  the  4th  or  5th  of  February  when   we  got 


78  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

back  to  the  mission,  and  the  order  given,  with  others,  was 
made  known.  The  other  orders  included  such  directions  as 
to  trim  the  hair  so  that  none  came  below  the  tip  of  the  ear, 
and  shave  the  beard  all  but  the  mustache. 

We  were  informed  that  we  had  no  right  to  think  in 
acting  for  ourselves — that  the  government  paid  men  to  think 
for  us,  and  it  was  our  duty  to  obey  orders.  We  were 
allowed  very  little  time  in  which  to  wash  our  rags  and  hunt 
down  the  insects  that  had  waged  a  continuous  warfare  on 
us  all  the  way  from  Albuquerque  or  the  Rio  Grande  del 
Norte  to  the  coast;  yet  we  turned  on  the  creeping  foe,  and 
never  relented  till  we  routed  him,  nor  showed  any  quarter 
till  the  last  one  was  gone.  We  also  had  to  repel  an  attack 
from  the  nimble  flea  in  great  numbers,  in  which  we  realized 
that  this  impudent  insect  did  not  care  where  he  hit. 

While  we  were  still  living  on  beef  alone,  without  pep- 
per or  salt,  we  were  ordered  out  on  squad  drill,  which 
seemed  to  continue  about  eight  hours  per  day.  The  reason 
given  for  this  was  the  supposed  threatened  attack  from 
eight  hundred  Calif ornians  in  the  mountains;  and  further, 
the  rumors  that  Col.  John  C.  Fremont,  with  eight  hundred 
or  a  thousand  men,  claimed  it  was  his  right,  and  not  Gen. 
Kearney's,  to  dictate  to  the  United  States  forces  in  Cali- 
fornia. In  fact,  it  was  reported  that  Col.  Fremont  was  in 
open  hostility  to  Gen.  Kearney,  who  was  military  governor 
of  California  by  orders  from  Washington.  Under  these 
circumstances,  we  were  kept  in  constant  readiness,  not  know- 
ing the  moment  we  would  be  called  into  active  service. 

Our  training  daily  was  one  hour  for  each  pound  of 
beef  issued,  the  beef  costing  less  than  a  cent  a  pound  to  the 
government.  Sergeant  Tyler  says  our  rations  were  five 
pounds  a  day,  and  I  say  it  was  not  half  enough,  for  we  were 
ravenously  hungry  all  the  time.  If  the  reader  doubts  this,  let 
him  try  the  ration  for  a  little  while,  and  doubt  will  disappear. 

About    February    25    we    obtained   bolted  flour    and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  79 

some  other  supplies  of  provisions  that  had  been  brought 
from  the  Sandwich  Islands,  by  Major  Sward,  to  San  Diego, 
and  thence  to  San  Luis  del  Rey  by  mule  team.  In  the 
meantime  we  had  received  a  small  amount  of  unbolted  flour, 
brought  by  Lieutenant  Oman  and  a  small  detachment  of 
the  battalion  sent  out  for  the  purpose.  Then  the  beef  rations 
were  reduced;  so  that  during  the  whole  twelve  months' 
service  we  did  not  once  have  issued  to  us  the  full  rations 
allowed  by  the  government  to  the  American  soldier — if  we 
had  full  rations  in  one  thing,  another  was  lacking.  Either 
the  government  made  a  great  saving  from  regulations  in 
feeding  us,  or  a  steal  put  money  into  some  contractors' 
pockets. 

Day  after  day  the  duties  of  soldier  were  performed, 
drilling,  out  on  detached  duty,  or  marching  here,  there  and 
everywhere,  early  and  late,  by  day  and  by  night,  just  to 
suit  the  fancy  of  some  of  our  officers,  and  not  always  upon 
real  occasion  for  the  movements.  It  wrould  seem  that  in 
many  respects  the  soldier's  life  is  much  like  a  faithful  wife's; 
and  in  others  much  unlike  a  woman's  work.  Like  hers,  in 
that  the  task  seems  never  done,  busy  all  day  and  up  at  every 
hour  of  night  in  response  to  calls  of  first  one  child,  then 
another,  or  even  to  the  exploits  of  some  mischievous  cat, 
her  rest  broken  and  her  life  worn  away;  unlike  hers,  in  that 
she  usually  has  a  dry  shelter,  regular  meals,  and  a  place  to 
lie  down  when  she  can  rest,  while  the  soldier  in  time  of  war 
never  knows  where  he  will  make  his  bed  at  night,  often  is 
without  food  and  drink,  having  to  move  at  the  wrord  of  com- 
mand over  deserts,  rocks,  mountains,  plains  and  rivers — a 
stranger  to  the  locality  he  may  call  his  home.  But  the  toils 
of  both  are  necessary,  she  to  rear  the  nation's  pride  and 
strength — a  soldier  in  the  right;  he  to  protect  her  and  him- 
self, to  defend  their  country's  rights  and  avenge  her 
wrongs. 

Returning  to  the  narrative  of  garrison  duty,  it  appeared 


80  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

to  me  the  hours  of  drill  were  more  than  Sergeant  Tyler's 
account  will  admit  of;  but  I  shall  not  dispute  with  him,  as  I 
write  from  memory.  I  do  recall  that  roll  call  came  at  day- 
light, sick  call  at  7:30  a.  m.,  breakfast  call  at  8:40,  drill  at 
10  a.  m.  and  3  p.  m..  roll  call  at  sundown,  tattoo  at  8:30, 
and  taps  at  q  p.  m.,  after  which  lights  must  be  out  except 
in  case  of  sickness.  All  must  be  silent  then,  as  the  men 
are  supposed  to  have  retired  for  the  night. 

On  or  near  the  20th  of  March,  companies  A,  C,  D 
and  E  took  up  their  journey  to  the  Puebla  de  Los  Angeles. 
We  traveled  over  a  hilly  country,  where  there  were  numer- 
ous herds  of  cattle  and  bands  of  horses.  In  some  places  we 
passed  down  to  and  along  the  sandy  beach  around  big 
bluffs  over  which,  so  we  were  told,  the  Californians,  some 
years  previously,  had  driven  thousands  of  horses  and  cattle 
to  rid  the  country  of  them,  as  they  had  overrun  the  place 
so  that  all  were  suffering  for  food.  This  story  seemed 
confirmed  by  the  great  amount  of  bones  that  we  saw 
among  the  rocks  and  sands  at  the  foot  of  deep  declivities 
along  the  seashore. 

On  the  way  to  Los  Angeles  we  passed  a  stone  church 
that  had  been  badly  shaken;  the  walls  had  been  good 
mason  work,  but  now  were  mostly  broken  down.  We 
were  told  that  an  earthquake  did  the  damage,  and  that  some 
three  hundred  people  had  been  killed.  On  by  the  San 
Gabriel  River  we  went,  arriving  at  Los  Angeles  in  about 
four  days'  march  from  where  we  had  started  out.  We 
marched  into  the  main  street  and  stacked  our  arms  as  if  to 
say,  "We  have  possession  here." 

Most  of  the  citizens  stood  aloof,  looking  as  if  the  cause 
they  had  supported  was  lost,  but  soon  the  merchants 
brought  out  buckets  of  whisky  and  wine,  which  they  set 
before  the  command,  inviting  us  to  help  ourselves.  Some 
accepted  the  invitation  rather  freely,  while  others  refrained 
from  touching  the  beverages.     We  returned  to  the  river  at 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  8l 

night,  and  camped.  In  a  day  or  two  we  were  marched 
about  two  miles  up  the  stream,  and  above  the  town,  where 
we  again  ran  out  of  provisions  and  had  to  go  hungry;  nor 
did  we  break  our  fast  till  n  a.  m.  next  day. 

At  this  time  the  air  was  full  of  alarming  rumors.  A 
revolt  of  Calif ornians  was  talked  of;  then  it  was  Fremont 
who  was  said  to  be  in  rebellion  against  General  Kearney's 
authority;  and  again,  a  powerful  band  of  Indians  was 
ready  to  pounce  down  upon  us.  It  was  not  very  unex- 
pectedly, therefore,  that  we  received  orders  to  occupy  the 
most  commanding  point  overlooking  the  town.  Soon  after 
this  we  learned  that  a  supply  of  provisions  for  the  command 
had  been  landed  at  San  Pedro,  about  twenty-one  miles  dis- 
tant, and  teams  and  wagons  were  sent  at  once,  under  an 
escort  of  soldiers,  the  writer  being  one.  We  returned  next 
day,  heavily  loaded. 

About  this  date,  the  command  began  the  erection  of  a 
fort,  or  rather  began  to  throw  up  earthworks.  Lieutenant 
Rosecranz  was  ordered  with  a  small  detachment  to  Cajon 
Pass,  a  narrow  opening  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  range,  about 
eighty  miles  east  of  us.  The  object  was  to  guard  the  pass 
against  the  advance  of  any  foe,  for,  as  has  been  said,  there 
were  many  rumors  of  impending  danger.  In  a  short  time, 
Lieutenant  Pace,  with  twenty-nine  officers  and  men  of  the 
battalion — the  writer  being  one  of  the  number — received 
orders  to  relieve  the  detachment  of  Lieutenant  Rosecranz. 
Pace's  command  had  just  reached  the  Rosecranz  party, 
rinding  the  latter  in  the  act  of  striking  camp,  when  a  dis- 
patch came  by  pony  express  ordering  us  to   return  as  well. 

On  our  march  out,  the  wild  cattle,  which  were  there  by 
thousands,  became  excited  and  began  to  bellow  and  crowd 
toward  us.  We  could  see  them  for  miles  coming  on  the 
run.  They  closed  in  quickly  until  we  were  surrounded  by 
them  on  three  sides,  with  a  deep  gulch  or  very  brushy 
ravine  on  the  fourth.     We  retreated  in  double-quick  time 


82  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

to  this  gulch,  and  were  compelled  to  remain  in  what  shelter 
it  afforded  until  the  next  day,  before  we  could  pass  on  in 
safety. 

The -unsettled  state  of  the  country  kept  us  constantly 
busy.  Our  fort  was  pushed  to  completion,  and  we  having 
obtained  what  artillery  Colonel  Fremont  had,  the  twelve  or 
fifteen  pieces  now  in  our  possession  were  placed  in  proper 
position  for  defense.  Everything  was  made  as  complete 
as  could  be,  and  the  warclouds  began  to  give  way.  Fre- 
mont had  been  placed  under  arrest  for  insubordination  or 
rebellion,  I  do  not  recall  which,  and  this  contributed  to  the 
peace  of  the  country. 

A  Spaniard  was  hired  to  haul  a  liberty  pole  from  San 
Bernardino  Canyon,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles,  and  as  he 
dared  not  undertake  the  journey  without  a  military  escort, 
Corporal  Lafayette  Shepherd  and  fourteen  men,  among 
whom  the  writer  was  included,  were  sent  to  protect  the 
Spaniard  and  help  get  the  pole  down  to  the  fort.  On  that 
trip  we  camped  on  the  present  site  of  San  Bernardino  City, 
then  a  wild  and  lonely  wilderness,  with  not  a  house  or  farm 
in  sight.  At  that  time  the  country  abounded  in  wild  cattle, 
bear,  and  other  wild  animals. 

Just  where  we  came  out  on  the  plain  we  camped  for 
the  night,  and  in  the  morning  our  Spanish  friend  went  out 
into  the  hills  to  see  if  he  could  kill  a  deer.  Soon  he  came 
upon  a  party  of  Indians  jerking  beef,  and  he  shot  into  their 
camp.  They  came  out,  returned  his  fire,  and  gave  him 
chase.  We  were  getting  breakfast  when  he  dashed  into 
our  camp,  shouting  that  the  Indians  were  upon  us,  and  for 
us  to  get  our  guns.  Of  course,  we  complied,  and  were 
ready  in  short  order,  but  as  no  Indians  came,  the  Spaniard 
insisted  that  we  go  in  and  rout  them,  as  they  were  killing 
the  citizens'  cattle,  and  our  commander  had  given  a 
promise  of  protection  from  this.  Hastily  we  saddled  our 
mules   and  started,  expecting  every  moment   to  meet  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  83 

Indians,  who  were  on  foot.  We  found  no  one  before  we 
came  to  the  campfires,  around  which  was  strewn  consider- 
able beef.  Soon  we  discovered  the  Indians  fleeing  up  the 
mountain,  and  on  our  jaded  mules  we  gave  chase,  but 
when  we  reached  the  summit  the  Indians  were  going  up 
the  opposite  ridge.  We  dismounted  and  poured  a  few  vol- 
leys into  the  brush  above  them.  They  did  not  fire  back. 
I  do  not  think  any  harm  was  done.  They  were  fleeing  for 
their  lives  and  did  not  show  any  opposition  to  us,  and  we 
had  no  desire  to  harm  them,  but  simply  to  demonstrate  to 
the  Californians  that  as  United  States  soldiers  we  were 
ready  to  protect  them  and  their  property,  as  was  promised 
by  our  officers. 

We  hastened  back  to  the  fort  with  our  charge,  the 
logs  in  the  rough  being  about  fifty  feet  each,  the  two  mak- 
ing a  pole  between  ninety  and  ninety-five  feet  long  when 
completed,  which  was  done  by  the  members  of  the  battalion 
at  the  fort. 

Another  event  about  this  period  was  an  order  by 
Colonel  Cooke  for  a  detail  of  good  marksmen  and  trusty 
men  to  go  through  the  town  and  shoot  or  bayonet  all  the 
dogs  to  be  found  in  the  streets.  The  colonel  had  notified 
the  town  authorities  of  his  intention.  Accordingly  the 
detail  was  made  and  ammunition  issued.  The  writer  was 
one  of  the  trusted  marksmen.  We  sallied  forth  in  the 
town  of  Los  Angeles,  where  the  dogs  were  more  numerous 
than  human  beings,  and  commenced  our  disagreeable  and 
deadly  work.  Muskets  rattled  in  every  street  and  byway, 
dogs  barked  and  howled  in  every  direction,  and  women 
and  children  wept  to  have  the  animals  spared.  But  mili- 
tary orders  had  to  be  obeyed,  for  the  dog  nuisance  had 
become  intolerable.  After  that,  there  were  sanitary  orders 
sent  forth,  and  the  streets  were  cleared  of  the  dogs  and  a 
great  amount  of  bones  and  other  rubbish. 

With  all  this  cleaning  up,  there  still  was  tolerated  the 


84  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

greater  nuisances  of  liquor  drinking,  gambling,  the  most 
lewd  and  obscene  conduct  that  could  be  imagined,  Sab- 
bath breaking  by  horse  racing,  cock  and  bull  righting,  men 
righting  and  knifing  one  another — indeed,  the  Sabbath  was 
the  greater  day  for  all  these  vices. 

Bull  fighting  was  carried  on  inside  of  a  square  of  one 
to  four  acres  surrounded  by  one-story  adobe  flat-roofed 
houses,  on  which  spectators  would  climb,  and  thus  have  an 
excellent  view  of  the  whole  exhibition  of  cruelty  and  bravado 
and  jeopardy  to  life.  Numbers  of  the  wildest  and  most 
ferocious  bulls  were  taken,  and  were  brought  into  the 
arena  one  at  a  time.  The  animal  was  turned  loose,  and  a 
man  would  tease  him  into  fury  with  a  sharp  lance.  A 
horseman  would  charge  and  make  thrust  after  thrust  at  the 
maddened  bull,  striving  to  pierce  him  just  behind  the  horns, 
the  aim  being  to  cut  the  pith  of  the  spinal  column  at  that 
point.  If  this  were  done,  the  animal  would  fall  dead  on 
the  spot.  As  a  general  thing,  the  bull  was  more  apt  to 
gore  the  rider's  horse,  and  give  the  rider  himself  a  very 
close  call;  but  a  number  of  very  expert  horsemen  were 
kept  in  readiness  to  lasso  the  bull  or  cast  a  blanket  over 
his  eyes  and  thus  blindfold  him  until  his  tormentor  got  out 
of  danger.  In  this  cruel  sport  many  horses  were  sacrificed, 
and  sometimes  the  riders  as  well.  It  was  not  an  unusual 
thing  for  a  hundred  or  more  of  these  wild  bulls  to  be  col- 
lected at  a  time,  and  the  bloody  sport  to  be  kept  up  three 
or  four  days  and  perhaps  more.  Sometimes  a  grizzly  bear 
would  be  captured  and  turned  loose  with  a  wild  bull,  the 
death  of  one  and  perhaps  both  being  the  result.  The 
whole  populace  seemed  to  enjoy  this  cruel  sport,  shouting 
and  screaming  thereat  all  the  day  long.  Males  and  females, 
of  all  ages  and  conditions,  met  on  a  common  level  to  wit- 
ness this  wild  and  reckless  amusement. 

Horse  racing  took  place  on  the  principal  streets.  One 
popular   part   of  this  pastime  was  to   secure   an   old   male 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  85 

chicken;  this  was  buried  all  but  the  head  in  a  hole  in  the 
street,  the  soil  being  packed  in  as  tight  as  could  be  and 
have  the  bird  live.  An  Indian  stood  by  to  rebury  the  fowl 
as  fast  as  the  horsemen  resurrected  him  by  seizing  him  by 
the  head  when  riding  past  at  full  speed.  The  aim  was  to 
swoop  down,  seize  the  cock's  head,  pull  the  bird  out  of 
the  hole,  and  hold  to  the  head  to  the  end  of  the  contest, 
which  was  indulged  in  by  a  dozen  or  more.  When  one 
rider  tore  the  bird  from  the  hole  all  the  others  would 
charge  on  him  and  try  to  capture  it.  The  possessor  would 
strike  right  and  left,  to  hold  his  prize,  until  the  poor  fowl 
was  torn  to  pieces.  Often  the  bird  fell  to  the  ground  alive, 
was  buried  again,  and  some  one  else  would  lead  in  the 
dash  for  it.  Just  before  the  rider  reached  the  fowl,  a  horse- 
man on  either  side  would  lash  the  horse  unmercifully,  so 
that  the  rider  could  not  slow  up  to  get  a  better  chance  at 
the  exposed  head.  This  game  would  be  continued  till 
some  one  carried  the  fowl's  head  to  the  end  in  triumph. 

It  was  said  that  a  scheme  existed  to  draw  the  attention 
of  the  Americans  during  the  most  exciting  of  these  sports, 
and  then  raid  our  camp;  but  if  this  ever  was  thought  of  it 
failed,  for  with  us  everything  was  kept  in  readiness  for  an 
emergency,  and  sometimes  we  lay  at  night  with  loaded 
muskets  and  fixed  bayonets.  Besides,  we  had  become 
very  proficient  in  military  tactics,  and  every  man  had 
learned  well  his  duty  as  a  soldier. 

The  fort  having  been  completed,  and  every  reasonable 
anticipation  for  surprise  in  the  return  of  the  Mexican  forces 
or  for  an  uprising  having  been  cut  off,  on  the  morning  of 
the  Fourth  of  July,  1847,  the  Stars  and  Stripes  was  hoisted 
on  the  pole  in  triumph,  and  floated  in  the  breezes  from  the 
Pacific  Ocean — I  think  the  first  time  that  glorious  banner 
waved  from  a  liberty  pole  in  California,  although  Commo- 
dore Sloat  had  raised  the  American  flag  at  Monterey  on 
July  7,  1846. 


86  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

TERM  OF  ENLISTMENT  EXPIRES— BATTALION  MEMBERS  PREPARING  TO 
RETURN  TO  THEIR  FAMILIES— ONE  COMPANY  RE-ENLIST8-AN  IN- 
SOLENT SPANIARD— PISTOL  SNAPPED  IN  THE  WRITER'S  FACE- 
ALMOST  A  DEATHBLOW— DESPEBATE  FIGHT  STOPPED  BY  BY- 
STAN  1  >ERS— SERB  >ES  TROUBLE  WITH  ANOTHEB  SPANIARD— LEARN 
THE  LESSON  TO  AVOID  THOSE  WHO  GAMBLE  OK  DRINK  INTOXI- 
CANTS— SPANISH  CHARAOTER— CLASS  OF  CAUFORN1  AS  INHABIT- 
ANTS IN  1847— CONDITION  OF  THE  COUNTRY— APPEARANCE  OF  THE 
TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES— DIFFICULT?  IN  SECURING  AN  OUTFIT  FOR 
MEMBERS  OF  THE  BATTALION  TO  JOURNEY  EASTWARD. 

THE  members  of  the  Mormon  Battalion  had  been  pur- 
chasing horses  and  mules  and  a  general  outfit  for  a 
return  to  our  friends  at  the  close  of  our  term  of  enlistment, 
which  was  drawing  nigh.  At  the  same  time,  Col.  Stephen- 
son, of  the  New  York  volunteers,  and  other  commissioned 
officers,  were  making  strenuous  efforts  to  have  us  re-enlist 
for  another  twelve  months,  or  six  months  at  least,  telling  us 
they  had  authority  to  impress  us  if  they  chose,  but  they 
preferred  to  have  us  come  as  volunteers.  It  had  been 
reported  that  although  the  Californians  had  been  whipped, 
there  was  not  concord,  and  that  as  soon  as  the  Mormon 
Battalion  left  the  country  the  Californians  would  revolt  and 
make  an  effort  to  overthrow  United  States  supremacy;  but 
while  we  remained  there  was  no  fear. 

Now,  as  there  were  many  of  the  battalion  who  had 
spent  all  their  wages — ninety-six  dollars  for  their  year's 
service — it  may  have  appeared  to  them  that  the  only  thing 
to  do  wras  to  re-enlist.  Horses  could  be  purchased  cheaply, 
and  provisions  were  not  high,  but  some  money  was  needed. 
Consequently,  one  company  re-enlisted  under  Capt.  Davis 
of  company  E,  while  the  rest  of  the   command  were  busy 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  87 

preparing  for  their   journey   east  to  meet   the  Saints  some- 
where, they  knew  not  just  where. 

Comparatively  few  of  our  command  had  acquired  suf- 
ficient knowledge  of  the  Spanish  language  to  do  their  own 
trading,  and  these  acted  as  interpreters  for  their  comrades. 
The  writer  happened  to  be  one  of  the  few  who  had  made 
some  success  in  picking  up  the  language.  On  one  occa- 
sion, when  hunting  the  town  and  adjacent  country  for  such 
articles  as  we  needed  in  our  outfit,  he  became  fatigued  and 
went  into  a  cafe  for  a  cup  of  coffee.  On  entering  the 
restaurant  he  found,  besides  the  landlord,  three  or  four 
good-appearing  Spaniards,  who  soon  began  to  question  him 
about  the  United  States  and  its  people.  Their  questions 
were  being  answered  in  a  courteous  manner,  when  the 
attendant,  who  was  a  tall,  fine-looking  Spaniard,  interposed 
with  the  remark  that  America  was  a  fine  country,  but  her 
soldiers  were  cowards  and  babies.  The  writer  was  alone, 
and  scarcely  knew  how  to  treat  the  insult;  besides,  there 
was  a  possibility  that  it  was  intended  as  a  joke.  There- 
fore, he  felt  that  it  would  be  improper  to  be  too  abrupt  in 
replying,  and  said,  quietly,  that  America  was  a  good 
country  and  her  soldiers  were  the  bravest  of  the  brave. 

At  that  moment  the  Spanish-Californian  stepped  back 
and  brought  out  an  American  hat  that  had  been  cut  through 
on  the  side  by  some  sharp  instrument.  Said  he:  "Here  is 
one's  hat — I  killed  him  in  battle.  He  was  a  great  baby." 
Reaching  back,  he  brought  out  a  dragoon's  sword  and  a 
holster,  with  two  iron-mounted  U.  S.  pistols.  His  eyes 
flashed,  and  he  mimicked  the  dying  soldier,  saying  all  the 
Americans  were  cowards.  My  blood  was  up,  and  I  taunted 
him  by  asking  him  how  it  was,  if  the  Americans  were  such 
cowards  and  babies,  and  fled  from  the  Spaniards  on  the 
battlefield,  that  the  Americans  had  taken  the  country. 
Pointing  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes  floating  over  the  fort  on 
the  hill,  I  said,  "That  shows  where  the  brave  men  are;  it  is 


88  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

the  Californians  who  are  cowards  and  babies."  In  an 
instant  a  pistol  was  snapped  in  my  face,  and  I  saw  the  fire 
roll  from  the  flintlock.  Quick  as  a  flash,  I  caught  a  heavy 
knife  that  was  handy,  leaped  on  to  the  counter,  and  was 
bringing  the  weapon  down  on  the  head  of  my  assailant,  when 
both  of  us  were  seized  by  bystanders,  and  were  disarmed. 
I  started  for  camp,  but  was  dragged  back  to  compromise 
the  affair.  When  I  re-entered  the  room  the  proprietor 
was  priming  his  weapon  with  mustard  seed.  He  said  it 
was  all  fun,  and  we  should  make  up.  The  spectators  were 
anxious  to  settle,  and  offered  to  treat.  Some  of  the  Span- 
iards expressed  regret  at  the  occurrence.  The  matter  was 
dropped,  though  I  never  was  convinced  that  that  Spanish 
attendant  did  not  have  murder  in  his  heart. 

On  another  occasion  I  had  an  unpleasant  experience 
with  another  Spaniard.  It  was  when  I  was  on  guard  duty 
at  the  prison  in  Los  Angeles.  A  very  large,  well  dressed 
Spaniard  came  across  the  street  from  a  drinking  saloon  and 
gambling  den.  He  wore  a  large  sombrero  wrorth  about 
eight  dollars.  He  had  been  gambling  and  drinking,  but 
was  not  drunk.  Said  he,  "I  have  lost  all  my  money,  and  I 
want  to  leave  this  hat  with  you  for  four  dollars.  If  I  do 
not  bring  the  money  back,  you  may  keep  the  hat;  it  is 
worth  eight  dollars,  and  will  sell  for  that  any  day."  His 
offer  was  rejected,  when  he  showred  some  displeasure, 
again  urging  the  loan,  and  promising  to  bring  the  money 
back  in  a  short  time.  Finally  he  prevailed,  left  the  hat  and 
took  the  money. 

In  two  or  three  hours  the  Spaniard  returned,  saying 
he  wanted  his  sombrero,  at  the  same  time  promising  to 
bring  the  money  next  day.  Of  course  this  proposition  was 
rejected,  whereupon  he  showed  considerable  temper,  but  at 
last  said  it  was  all  right,  he  would  find  the  money;  and 
added,  "Come  over  to  the  saloon  and  have  a  drink  of  wine, 
and  we  will  be  good  friends."     Thinking  that  would  settle 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  Sq 

the  matter,  I  complied  with  his  request.  He  had  on  a  long 
Spanish  sarapa,  or  blanket,  and  as  we  neared  the  door  he 
stepped  ahead,  leaned  over  the  counter,  and  said  some- 
thing to  the  bartender.  As  I  entered  the  door  I  was 
again  asked  for  the  hat,  and  he  in  turn  was  requested  to 
hand  over  the  money.  He  grew  angry,  threatened,  and 
finally  challenged  me  to  fight.  As  I  squared  off  to  meet 
his  impending  assault,  the  Spaniard  drew  a  large  bowie 
knife  for  a  thrust  at  me,  but  was  stopped  by  some  bystand- 
ers. I  was  at  the  time  nineteen  vears  of  age.  and  my 
young  blood  was  thoroughly  aroused.  I  rushed  for  my 
musket,  which  was  loaded  and  had  bayonet  fixed,  and  with 
the  hurting  end  foremost  I  was  quickly  back  at  the  saloon, 
forcibly  declaring  my  readiness  for  the  conflict.  The 
bvstanders  closed  in  and  called  for  peace,  the  four  dollars 
was  soon  raised,  and  the  sombrero  found  its  way  back  into 
the  hands  of  its  angry  owner,  who  displayed  considerable 
effect  of  the  liquor  he  had  been  drinking.  But  I  learned 
an  impressive  lesson,  namely,  to  avoid  the  companionship 
of  men  who  drink  intoxicants  or  who  follow  games  of 
chance  for  a  livelihood.  Even  if  a  man  does  not  indulge 
himself,  those  who  do  are  liable  to  ask  favors,  and  if  these 
are  not  granted  the  next  thing  is  insult,  which  often  ends  in 
bloodshed,  or  did  in  those  days  in  California.  In  illustra- 
tion of  the  light  estimate  of  human  life,  I  can  recall  a 
man's  foot  being  kicked  about  the  street,  and  no  more 
notice  being  taken  of  it  than  if  it  were  an  animal's. 

As  to  Spanish  character,  the  writer  can  say  from  a 
close  acquaintance  that  when  the  Spaniards  are  sober  and 
friendly,  they  are  very  friendly,  hospitable  and  polite,  being 
very  good  company;  in  fact,  we  seldom  met  with  a  more 
wholesouled  and  agreeable  people.  Yet  it  is  doubtful  if 
there  are  any  people  who  will  resent  an  insult  quicker  and 
more  seriously  than  they  will.  They  are  brave  and  manly; 
yet  those  who  are  of   mixed  blood,   such   as  the   Greasers, 

6 


90  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

are  low,  degraded,  treacherous  and  cruel.  In  California 
there  were  a  few  of  the  higher  class,  many  more  of  a 
medium  kind,  and  still  more  of  the  lower  class;  so  that  in 
summing  up  the  total  of  California's  inhabitants  in  1846-7, 
the  country  was  only  half  civilized  and  thinly  inhabited. 

At  that  time  the  country  was  wild,  being  overrun  with 
wilder  horses,  cattle,  sheep  and  goats.  In  places  wild  oats 
and  mustard  abounded,  in  many  sections  the  mustard  being 
as  high  as  a  man's  head  when  on  horseback,  and  so  dense 
that  a  horse  could  be  forced  only  a  few  feet  through  it.  In 
the  foothills  and  mountains  wild  game  was  very  abundant, 
consisting  of  elk,  deer,  bear,  and  smaller  game.  Along  the 
water  courses  and  on  the  lakes  waterfowl  was  plentiful. 
There  were  millions  of  acres  of  uncultivated  land,  as  good 
as  any  on  the  globe.  The  climate  is  scarcely  equalled  any- 
where. The  chief  products  of  the  soil  then  were  wheat, 
barley,  beans,  peas,  apples,  peaches,  plums,  apricots,  pears, 
dates,  figs,  olives,  grapes,  black  pepper,  spices,  and  many 
fruits  not  named  here.  These  all  seemed  to  grow  very 
near  to  perfection,  especially  when  properly  cared  for.  The 
greater  part  of  the  labor  was  performed  by  native  Indians, 
and  that  too  with  the  most  primitive  tools.  The  buildings 
were  low,  being  one-story  adobe,  with  flat  roofs  covered 
with  cement,  or  a  natural  tar  that  exuded  from  the  earth; 
sometimes  tile  was  used,  but  I  do  not  remember  seeing 
one  brick  building  or  shingle  roof  in  all  the  land. 

Under  the  conditions  which  existed,  it  was  no  easy 
matter  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  to  get  an  outfit  together 
to  travel  over  the  mountains  east,  as  that  number  of  the 
battalion  intended  to  do;  but  having  commenced  before  we 
were  discharged  from  service — say  some  time  in  June — to 
purchase  our  horses,  saddles,  and  everything  necessary  for 
a  pack  train,  we  were  partly  prepared  for  the  journey 
when  the  day  came  for  us  to  be  mustered  out. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  9 1 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

MORMON  BATTALIOX  MUSTERED  OUT  OF  SERVICE— ONE  HUNDRED  AND 
FIFTY  MEMBERS  ORGANIZE  TO  RETURN  FAST  TO  THE  ROCKY 
MOUNTAINS— START  ON  THE  JOURNEY— DD7FH  OLTIES  OF  THE 
ROUTE— DEALING  WITH  WILD  HORSES  AND  CATTLE— STAMPEDE 
OF  A  PACE  ANIMAL— CHASE  INTO  AN  INDIAN  CAMP— LOST  ALL 
NIGHT  IN  A  SWAMP— SUFFERING  ON  THE  DESERT  FOR  LACK  <>F 
WATER— ARRIVE  NEAR  BUTTER'S  FORT— OH  THE  SITE  OF  SACRA- 
MENTO—PARTI  DECIDE  TO  REMAIN  OVEB  FOB  THE  YEAR,  AND 
OBTAIN  EMPLOYMENT— MEET  CAPT.  J.  \.  SUTTEE  AND  JAMES  W. 
MARSHALL— PROPOSITION  TO  <  APT.  SUTTER— ENGAGED  TO  WORE 
ON  A  SAWMILL— PROCEEDINGS  AT  TDK  MILLSITE— MILL  STARTED 
UP— THE  WRITER  ENGAGED  TO  DIRECT  LNDIANS  LABORING  AT 
THE  TAIL  RACE— CONVERSATION  WITH  MR.  MARSHALL— MAR- 
SHALL TALKS  A.BOI  I  FINDING  GOLD— HE  AND  THE  WRITER  MAKE 
A  SEAR  II  FOB  GOLD,  BUT  FINDING  NONE,  DEFER  THE  ENVESTI- 
GATION  III. I.  NEXT  MORNING— MARSHALL'S  FAITH  IN  HIS  BEING 
8UCCE8SF1   I.  IN   DISCOVERING  THE  PRECIOUS  METAL. 

OX  the  16th  of  July,  1847,  the  close  of  the  Mormon 
Battalion's  term  of  enlistment,  we  were  called  into 
line,  and  an  officer  passed  along  as  in  ordinary  inspection. 
Then,  without  further  ceremony,  he  said.  ''You  are  dis- 
charged." I  do  not  think  one-half  of  the  command  heard 
him,  he  spoke  so  low.  Some  of  us  thought  he  may  have 
felt  ashamed  because  of  his  conduct  toward  us  on  our  march 
to  Santa  Fe.  He  was  the  little  bigot,  Lieutenant  A.  J. 
Smith. 

Thus  we  bade  adieu  to  United  States  military  authority 
and  returned  to  the  ranks  of  civil  life.  One  hundred  and 
fifty  of  us  organized  ourselves  into  hundreds,  fifties  and 
tens,  and  were  soon  on  our  way  to  meet  our  friends  some- 
where, as  we  supposed,  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  east;  and 
still  we  did  not  know  just  where.  We  sought  information 
as  best  we  could,  and  the  most  that  we  could  learn  was  that 


92  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

by  following  under  the  base  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  range 
six  hundred  miles  we  would  come  to  Sutter's  Fort,  where 
we  could  obtain  further  information  as  to  the  best  route  to 
where  we  supposed  we  would  find  our  friends. 

It  was  about  the  20th  of  July  when  the  first  company 
moved  out  on  the  intended  journey;  and  in  three  or  four 
days  the  remaining  hundred  followed.  We  passed  Gen. 
Pico's  ranch  about  twenty  miles  northward,  and  from  there 
crossed  over  a  mountain  so  high  and  steep  that  it  made  our 
heads  swim,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we  could  sit  on 
our  horses.  In  places,  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  dismount, 
for  lack  of  room.  Two  mules  lost  their  footing  and  fell 
twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  before  they  could  regain  a  foot- 
hold, and  it  was  very  hard  work  to  get  them  back  on  the 
trail.  We  traveled  some  eighteen  or  twenty  miles  from 
Pico's  ranch  to  Francisco  ranch,  where  we  joined  the  fifty 
who  had  preceded  the  main  body,  and  were  waiting  for  us 
to  come  up. 

A  meeting  was  held,  at  which  it  was  decided  to  pur- 
chase forty  or  fifty  beef  cattle,  which  was  done  at  not  to 
exceed  four  dollars  per  head.  The  course  of  our  journey 
from  this  time  was  northward.  The  country  where  we  were 
traveling  was  a  wilderness  of  hill  and  dale,  deep  gorges, 
and  brush,  so  that  the  first  two  days  we  lost  ten  or  fifteen 
head  of  beef  cattle.  It  was  decided  to  make  sure  of  the 
remainder  by  slaughtering  and  jerking  or  curing  the  beef, 
and  next  morning  there  came  a  battle  with  the  cattle,  which 
had  become  wild  and  ferocious,  plunging  at  the  men  on 
horseback  everywhere,  so  we  had  to  shoot  them  down  as 
best  we  could.  After  stopping  two  or  three  days  to  jerk 
the  beef,  we  proceeded  on  our  journey. 

Many  of  our  horses  were  bronchos,  or  wild,  when  we 
purchased  them,  and  gave  us  much  trouble.  The  packs 
would  get  loose  and  turn  under  the  animals,  which  would 
run  and  kick,   scattering  things   as   they    went.      One   day 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  93 

Alexander  Stephens,  William  Garner  and  I  had  a  horse 
stampede  with  its  burden.  I  gave  pursuit,  and  as  I  had  no 
thought  of  anything  but  capturing  the  animal,  I  chased  it 
about  three  miles,  right  into  an  Indian  camp.  The  Indians 
must  have  seen  me  coming  and  fled.  Their  fires  were 
burning,  pots  boiling,  and  camp  equipage  laid  around. 
From  appearances  there  must  have  been  fifteen  to  twenty 
families;  their  tracks  were  thick  and  fresh.  The  runaway 
horse  seems  to  have  been  so  excited  that,  like  its  pursuer, 
it  ran  in  among  the  camp  before  observing  the  danger;  then 
it  turned  and  I  secured  it  with  a  lasso.  At  that  moment  I 
recognized  the  peril  of  my  own  position,  in  the  possibility 
of  being  ambushed  by  Indians.  It  may  be  needless  to  state 
that  I  got  out  of  that  place  in  a  hurry;  although  I  had  lost 
sight  of  the  camp  and  was  confused  for  a  little  time  till  I 
found  my  trail. 

Upon  returning.  I  met  my  two  comrades,  who  had 
had  all  they  could  do  to  take  care  of  the  other  pack  animals, 
and  were  very  anxious  about  me.  It  was  getting  late  in  the 
day,  and  the  company  had  passed  out  of  sight.  We  followed 
as  fast  as  we  could,  but  darkness  overtook  us  and  we  soon 
found  ourselves  wandering  in  the  bullrushes  and  marshes  of 
the  east  end  of  Tulare  Lake.  Turn  which  way  we  would 
we  could  not  find  any  trail  out.  At  last  we  found  a  spot 
more  solid  than  the  surroundings;  we  halted  and  felt  around 
in  the  darkness;  every  way  we  went  it  was  mud  and  water. 
The  night  was  so  dark  that  we  could  not  see  each  other  or 
the  horses,  and  finally  we  tied  the  animals  together  so  we 
could  hold  them,  took  off  the  pack,  and  waited  around  till 
daylight.  I  do  not  think  either  of  us  slept  fifteen  minutes 
that  night.  We  had  nothing  to  make  a  fire  with,  and  if  we 
had,  it  would  not  have  been  wise  to  have  attracted  savage 
Indians  with  one.  Early  in  the  morning  we  prepared  to 
seek  a  way  out,  and  to  our  surprise,  discovered  close  by  a 
bullrush  boat  which  an   aged  Indian   was   pushing  through 


94  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

the  rushes.  The  boat  had  been  made  by  twisting  and 
braiding  the  rushes  together,  and  reminded  us  of  what  the 
prophet  says  about  embassadors  going  forth  in  vessels  of 
bullrushes.  We  could  not  learn  from  whence  the  Indian 
came  or  whither  he  was  going,  nor  yet  his  errand.  We 
bade  him  good  day,  and  soon  found  the  trail  of  our  com- 
pany. After  going  three  or  four  miles,  we  met  some  of 
our  men  who  had  been  sent  in  search  of  us;  they  had  passed 
the  night  in  great  anxiety  concerning  our  safety.  Thank- 
fully we  reached  the  camp  to  have  a  bite  of  food  and  pro- 
ceed on  our  journey,  grateful  that  we  yet  had  our  hair  on 
the  top  of  our  heads,  where  the  darkey  says  ;'the  wool 
ought  to  grow." 

Our  journey  took  us  over  cold  mountain  streams,  some 
of  which  we  forded,  carrying  our  baggage  on  our  heads 
and  making  from  three  to  live  trips  each  way;  others  we 
built  rafts  for,  by  tying  dry  logs  together  with  our  lash- 
ropes,  piling  them  with  baggage,  and  drawing  them  over 
or  pushing  them  with  poles,  the  men  swimming  their  horses 
and  often  themselves.  These  streams  were  quite  numerous. 
Among  those  I  remember  were  the  Tulare,  the  San  Joaquin 
River,  and  others.  The  crossing  of  these  streams  was  hard 
on  man  and  beast,  the  water  being  cold  close  to  the  moun- 
tains, and  the  work  hazardous  owing  to  the  rapid  currents 
and  boulders  in  the  channels  of  the  rivers.  On  this  journey 
we  were  two  days  on  dry  plains,  and  suffered  almost  to  death ; 
some  of  our  horses  became  so  thirsty  that  their  eyes  turned 
white  as  milk  and  blind  as  bats;  they  staggered  against 
anything  they  came  to.  Some  of  the  men  gave  out  entirely, 
and  if  it  had  not  been  for  some  of  the  stronger  men  and 
horses  that  pushed  forward  and  then  returned  to  aid  the 
others,  many  of  the  latter  never  would  have  been  able  to 
have  reached  camp.  Men  had  their  tongues  swollen  and 
eyes  sunken  and  glazed;  some  could  not  drink  water  when 
t   was  brought    to   them,  until   their  lips   and  mouths   had 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  95 

been  bathed  and  some  of  .the  liquid  poured  into  their 
throats.  Fortunately  for  the  writer,  he  was  one  of  the 
stronger  ones  who  went  ahead  and  returned  to  his  com- 
rades the  last  day  on  the  desert;  the  scene  was  terrible 
beyond  the  powers  of  description. 

Fully  five  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  that  journey  was 
made  without  seeing  a  house,  or  a  white  woman  or  child. 
There  were  many  Indians  and  their  ranches,  but  the 
savages  gave  us  no  particular  trouble.  We  pressed  for- 
ward till  August  26,  when  we  came  to  the  American 
River,  two  miles  above  Sutter's  Fort  and  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  the  Sacramento  River,  at  the  point  where  the 
city  of  Sacramento  now  stands.  The  locality  was  then  a 
forest  of  cottonwood  timber  and  undergrowth. 

When  we  reached  the  vicinity  of  Sutter's  Fort  a  con- 
sultation was  held,  at  which  it  was  decided  that  most  of  the 
party  would  remain  until  next  year,  and  obtain  employ- 
ment where  they  could.  Captain  John  A.  Sutter  and 
James  Marshall  contemplated  building  a  gristmill  and  also 
a  sawmill,  but  had  no  skilled  workmen  to  perform  the  task. 
Accordingly,  a  committee  was  appointed  from  our  number, 
who  informed  Captain  Sutter  that  we  had  among  us  car- 
penters, blacksmiths,  wheelwrights,  millwrights,  farmers 
and  common  laborers;  that  we  were  in  need  of  horses, 
cattle,  and  a  general  outfit  for  crossing  the  mountains  early 
the  next  summer,  and  that  if  we  could  not  get  all  money 
for  our  pay  we  would  take  part  in  supplies  for  our  journey; 
the  committee  also  inquired  what  the  prospect  for  employ- 
ment was.  Captain  Sutter  gave  the  committee  encourage- 
ment, and  asked  them  to  call  on  him  again  in  two  or  three 
days. 

The  result  was,  that  between  August  29  and  Septem- 
ber 5,  from  forty  to  sixty  of  us  called  on  Captain  Sutter. 
Some  were  employed  to  work  on  the  gristmill;  others  took 


96  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

contracts  on  the  mill  race.  The  race  was  seven  or  eight 
miles  long,  and  was  also  intended  for  irrigation. 

Between  the  8th  and  the  nth  of  September,  Alexander 
Stephens,  James  Berger  and  the  writer  started  for  the  site 
that  had  been  selected  by  Mr.  Marshall  for  the  sawmill; 
we  were  the  first  Mormons  to  arrive  at  the  place.  Peter 
L.  Wimmer  and  family  and  William  Scott  had  preceded  us 
a  few  days,  having  two  wagons  loaded  with  tools  and  pro- 
visions; the  teams  were  oxen,  and  were  driven  by  two  of 
Captain  Sutter's  civilized  Indians.  Some  weeks  after  we 
went  up,  Henry  W.  Bigler,  Azariah  Smith,  William  John- 
ston, and  Israel  Evans,  members  of  the  Mormon  Battalion, 
came  to  the  camp. 

Upon  our  arrival  at  the  millsite,  work  was  begun  in 
earnest.  The  cabin  was  finished,  a  second  room  being 
put  on  in  true  frontier  style.  While  some  worked  on  the 
cabin,  others  were  getting  out  timbers  and  preparing  for 
the  erection  of  the  sawmill.  The  site  was  at  a  point  where 
the  river  made  considerable  of  a  bend,  just  in  the  bank  of 
what  appeared  to  be  an  old  river  bed,  which  was  lowered 
to  carry  the  water  from  the  mill. 

Betwreen  January  15th  and  20th,  1848,  the  mill  was 
started  up.  It  was  found  that  it  had  been  set  too  low,  and 
the  tail  race  would  not  carry  off  the  water,  which  would 
drown  or  kill  the  flutter  wheel.  To  remedy  this  defect, 
several  new  pieces  of  timber  were  needed,  and  all  hands 
were  put  to  work  within  ten  or  fifteen  rods  of  the  tail  race, 
getting  out  the  timbers. 

Part  of  the  time  I  was  engaged  in  directing  the  labors 
of  a  gang  of  Digger  Indians,  as  I  had  picked  up  sufficient 
of  their  dialect  to  make  them  understand  me  clearly.  It 
had  been  customary  to  hoist  the  gates  of  the  forebay  when 
we  quit  work  in  the  evening,  letting  the  water  through  the 
race  to  wash  away  the  loosened  sand  and  gravel,  then  close 
them  down  in  the  morning.     The   Indians  were   employed 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  97 

to  dig  and  cast  out  the  cable  rock  that  was  not  moved  by 
the  water. 

On  January  23,  I  had  turned  away  from  the  Indians 
and  was  with  the  white  men.  Mr.  Marshall  came  along 
to  look  over  the  work  in  general,  and  went  to  where  the 
tail  race  entered  the  river.  There  he  discovered  a  bed  of 
rock  that  had  been  exposed  by  the  water  the  night  before, 
the  portion  in  view  in  the  bottom  of  the  race  being  three  to 
six  feet  wide  and  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  long.  Mr.  Marshall 
called  me  to  him  as  he  examined  the  bed  of  the  race,  and 
said:  --This  is  a  curious  rock;  I  am  afraid  it  will  give  us 
trouble."  Then  he  probed  a  little  further,  and  added:  "I 
believe  it  contains  minerals  of  some  kind,  and  I  believe 
there  is  gold  in  these  hills." 

At  this  statement  I  inquired,  "What  makes  you  think 
so?"  He  answered  that  he  had  seen  blossom  of  gold,  and 
upon  my  asking  where,  he  said  it  was  the  white  quartz 
scattered  over  the  hills;  on  my  inquiring  further  as  to  wmat 
quartz  was,  he  told  me  it  was  the  white,  flint-like  rock  so 
plentiful  on  the  hills.  I  said  it  was  flint  rock,  but  he  said 
no,  it  was  called  quartz  in  some  book  he  had  read,  and  was 
an  indication  of  gold.  He  sent  me  to  the  cabin  for  a  pan 
to  wash  the  sand  and  gravel,  and  see  what  we  could  find. 
I  went  to  a  cabin  which  had  been  built  near  the  millsite  by 
Alexander  Stephens,  Henry  W.  Bigler,  James  Berger, 
Azariah  Smith,  William  Johnston  and  myself,  and  in  which 
we  were  doing  our  own  cooking.  I  brought  the  pan  and 
we  washed  some  of  the  bedrock  that  we  had  scaled  up  with 
a  pick.  As  we  had  no  idea  of  the  appearance  of  gold  in 
its  natural  state,  our  search  was  unsuccessful. 

Mr.  Marshall  was  determined  to  investigate  further, 
but  it  was  no  use  that  night.  He  rose  and  said:  "We  will 
hoist  the  gates  and  turn  in  all  the  water  that  we  can 
tonight,   and   tomorrow   morning   we    will  shut   it   off  and 


98  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

come  down  here,  and  I  believe  we  will  find  gold   or  some 
other  mineral  here." 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

ARRIVAL  OF  MEMBERS  OF  THE  MORMON  BATTALION  AT  SUTTER'S 
FORT  OPENS  THE  WAY  FOR  THE  DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD  IN  CALI- 
KiHIMA-JAMKs  W.  MARSHALL  OUT  EARLY  OX  JANUARY  24, 
1848— "HE  LS  GOING  TO  FIND  A  GOLD  MINE"— REGARDED  A-  A 
"NOTIONAL"  MAN— "BOYS,  I  HAVE  GOT  HER  NOW!"— TESTING 
THE  SCALES  OF  METAL— "GOLD,  BOYS,  GOLD!"— FIRST  PROCLAMA- 
TION OF  THE  GREAT  GOLD  DISCOVERY— SECOND  AND  THIRD  TESTS 
—ALL  EXCITEMENT— THREE  oK  FOUR  OUNCES  OF  GOLD  GATH- 
ERED—AGREE TO  KEEP  TDK  DISCOVERY  SECRET— FIND  THE 
PRECIOUS  METAL  FARTHER  DOWN  THE  STREAM— HOW  THE 
SECRET  LEASED  OUT— MORE  DISCOVERIES— FIRST  PUBLICATION 
OF  THE  NEWS  -MADE  IN  A  MORMON  PAPER— WASHING  OUT  THE 
METAL— FIRST  GOLD  ROCKER— GATHERING  GOLD— PART  TAKEN 
BY  MR.  MARSHALL,  THE  MORMONS  AND  CAPTAIN  SITTER  IN 
THE  DISCOVERY— MISFORTUNES  OF  SUTTER  AND  MARSHALL- 
ACCOUNT  OF  THE  GOLD  DISCOVERY  CERTIFIED  TO  BY  SEVERAL 
EVE    WITNESSES. 

IT  is  my  understanding  that  when  Captain  Sutter  and 
Mr.  Marshall  were  contemplating  the  erection  of  the 
two  mills,  an  apparently  insurmountable  obstacle  confronted 
them  in  the  inability  to  get  and  pay  for  the  skilled  labor 
necessary  for  portions  of  the  work.  This  obstacle  was  re- 
moved by  the  proposition  our  committee  had  made  to  Captain 
Sutter  at  the  first  interview;  and  in  the  two  or  three  days' 
time  asked  in  August.  1847,  by  the  captain,  a  decision  was 
reached  to  go  ahead.  Therefore,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
opportune  appearance  of  the  mustered-out  members  of  the 
Mormon  Battalion,  the  sawmill  would  not  have  been  built 
that  winter,  nor  would  the  discovery  of  gold  have  been  made 
at  that  time.  But  for  the  action  of  those  Mormons  in  connec- 
tion with   the  enterprise   proposed   by   Captain  Sutter  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  99 

Mr.  Marshall,  in  offering  the  desired  class  of  labor  upon  the 
terms  they  did,  the  state  of  California  might  have  waited 
indefinitely  to  have  been  developed  and  to  be  christened 
the  Golden  State,  and  the  entrance  to  the  bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco might  never  have  received  the  title  of  the  Golden 
Gate. 

Resuming  the  narrative  of  my  association  with  Mr. 
Marshall  on  the  afternoon  of  January  23rd,  I  will  state  fur- 
ther that  each  of  us  went  our  way  for  the  night,  and  did  not 
meet  again  till  next  morning.  I  thought  little  of  what 
Marshall  had  said  of  finding  gold,  as  he  was  looked  on  as 
rather  a  "notional"  kind  of  man;  I  do  not  think  I  even  men- 
tioned his  conversation  to  my  associates.  At  an  unusually 
early  hour  in  the  morning,  however,  those  of  us  who  oc- 
cupied the  cabin  heard  a  hammering  at  the  mill.  "Who 
is  that  pounding  so  early?"  was  asked,  and  one  of  our  party 
looked  out  and  said  it  was  Marshall  shutting  the  gates  of 
the  forebay  down.  This  recalled  to  my  mind  what  Mr. 
Marshall  had  said  to  me  the  evening  before,  and  I  remarked, 
••Oh.  he  is  going  to  find  a  gold  mine  this  morning." 

A  smile  of  derision  stole  over  the  faces  of  the  parties 
present.  We  ate  our  breakfast  and  went  to  work.  James 
Berger  and  myself  went  to  the  whipsaw,  and  the  rest  of  the 
men  some  eight  or  ten  rods  away  from  the  mill.  I  was 
close  to  the  mill  and  sawpit,  and  was  also  close  to  the  tail 
race,  where  I  could  direct  the  Indians  who  were  there. 

This  was  the  24th  day  of  January,  1848.  When  we 
had  got  partly  to  work,  Mr.  Marshall  came,  with  his  old 
wool  hat  in  his  hand.  He  stopped  within  six  or  eight  yards 
of  the  sawpit,  and  exclaimed,  "Boys,  I  have  got  her  now!" 
Being  the  nearest  to  him,  and  having  more  curiosity  than  the 
rest  of  the  men,  I  jumped  from  the  pit  and  stepped  to  him. 
On  looking  into  his  hat  I  discovered  ten  or  twelve  pieces  or 
small  scales  of  what  proved  to  be  gold.  I  picked  up  the  largest 
piece,  worth  about  fifty  cents,  and  tested  it  with  my  teeth;  as 


TOO  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

it  did  not  give,  I  held  it  aloft  and  exclaimed,  "Gold,  boys, 
gold!"  At  that,  all  dropped  their  tools  and  gathered  around 
Mr.  Marshall.  Having  made  the  first  proclamation  of  the 
very  important  fact  that  the  metal  was  gold,  I  stepped  to 
the  work  bench  and  put  it  to  the  second  test  with  the  ham- 
mer. As  I  was  doing  this  it  occurred  to  me  that  while  en 
route  to  California  with  the  Mormon  Battalion,  we  came  to 
some  timber  called  manzanita.  Our  guides  and  interpreters 
said  the  wood  was  what  the  Mexicans  smelted  their  gold 
and  silver  ores  with.  It  is  a  hard  wood  and  makes  a  very 
hot  fire,  and  also  burns  a  long  time.  Remembering  that 
we  had  left  a  very  hot  bed  of  these  coals  in  the  fireplace  of 
the  cabin,  I  hurried  there  and  made  the  third  test  by  plac- 
ing the  metal  upon  the  point  of  an  old  shovel  blade,  and 
then  inserted  it  in  among  the  coals.  I  blew  the  coals  until 
I  was  blind  for  the  moment,  in  trying  to  burn  or  melt  the 
particles;  and  although  these  were  plated  almost  as  thin  as 
a  sheet  of  note  paper,  the  heat  did  not  change  their  appear- 
ance in  the  least.  I  remembered  hearing  that  gold  could 
not  be  burned  up,  so  I  arose  from  this  third  test,  confident 
that  what  had  been  found  was  gold.  Running  out  to  the 
party  still  grouped  together,  I  made  the  second  proclamation, 
saying,  "Gold,  gold!" 

At  this  juncture  all  was  excitement.  We  repaired  to 
the  lower  end  of  the  tail  race,  where  we  found  from  three  to 
six  inches  of  water  flowing  over  the  bed  of  rock,  in  which 
there  were  crevices  and  little  pockets,  over  which  the  water 
rippled  in  the  glare  of  the  sunlight  as  that  shone  over  the 
mountain  peaks.  James  Berger  was  the  first  man  to  espy  a 
scale  of  the  metal.  He  stooped  to  pick  it  up,  and  found 
some  difficulty  in  getting  hold  of  it,  as  his  fingers  would  blur 
the  water,  but  he  finally  succeeded.  The  next  man  to  find 
a  piece  was  H.  W.  Bigler;  he  used  his  jack-knife,  getting 
the  scale  on  the  point  of  the  blade,  then,  with  his  forefinger 
over  it  placed  it  in  his  left  hand. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  IOI 

As  soon  as  we  learned  how  to  look  for  it,  since  it  glit- 
tered under  the  water  in  the  rays  of  the  sun,  we  were  all 
rewarded  with  a  few  scales.  Each  put  his  mite  into  a  small 
phial  that  was  provided  by  Marshall,  and  we  made  him  the 
custodian.  We  repeated  our  visits  to  the  tail  race  for  three 
or  four  mornings,  each  time  collecting  some  of  the  precious 
metal  until  we  had  gathered  somewhere  between  three  and 
four  ounces. 

The  next  move  was  to  step  and  stake  off  two  quarter 
sections,  beginning  at  the  mill,  one  running  down  the  river 
and  the  other  up.  Then  we  cut  and  hauled  logs  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  a  cabin  on  each  of  them;  one  was  for 
Sutter,  the  other  for  Marshall.  This  matter  being  finished, 
Mr.  Marshall  was  prepared  to  dictate  terms  to  us,  for  every 
tool  and  all  the  provisions  in  that  part  of  the  country  be- 
longed to  Sutter  and  Marshall.  They  had  full  control,  and 
we  were  depending  on  the  completion  of  the  mill  for  our 
pay.  Marshall  said  that  if  we  would  stay  by  him  until  the 
mill  was  completed  and  well  stocked  with  logs,  he  would 
supply  us  with  provisions  and  tools,  and  would  grant  us  the 
first  right  to  work  on  their  gold  claims.  We  all  assented  to 
his  proposition,  and  also  agreed  that  we  would  not  disclose 
the  secret  of  the  gold  discovery  until  we  learned  more 
about  it  and  had  made  good  our  claims.  Not  having  the 
remotest  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  gold  deposits,  we  pushed 
the  mill  as  rapidly  as  possible;  for  as  yet  we  had  not  re- 
ceived one  dollar's  pay  for  our  four  months'  labor. 

Soon  there  came  a  rainy  day,  when  it  was  too  wet  to 
work.  H.  W.  Bigler  thought  it  a  good  day  to  hunt  ducks, 
so  he  put  on  an  old  coat,  and  was  gone  all  day. 

When  he  returned,  we  said,  "Where  are  your  ducks?" 

He  said,  "Wait  a  while,  I  will  show  you;  I  have  got 
them  all  right." 

Finally  he  drew  an  old  cotton  handkerchief  from  his 
pocket;  in  the  corner  of  it  he  had  at  least  half  an  ounce  of 


102  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

gold  tied  up.  For  a  while  all  were  excited,  and  he  was 
asked  a  great  many  questions  like  the  following:  "Did  you 
find  it  on  Sutter's  claim  along  the  river?"  "How  far  is  it 
from  here?"  "All  in  one  place?"  "Is  there  any  more?" 
"How  did  you  get  it,  you  had  no  pick  or  shovel?"  "Can 
you  find  the  place  again?" 

He  replied  that  he  had  found  it  down  below  Sutter's 
claim,  along  the  river  where  the  bedrock  cropped  out  along 
the  bank,  and  in  little  rills  that  came  down  the  hills  to  the 
river,  indeed,  everywhere  that  he  found  the  bedrock  crop- 
ping out. 

••Then  you  found  it  in  more  than  one  place?" 

"Yes,  more  than  a  dozen." 

It  was  now  proposed  that  we  keep  this  discovery  a 
secret,  as  the  discovery  in  the  race  had  been  kept.  So  the 
mill  work  was  pushed  with  vigor  to  completion.  But  in 
the  meantime  Marshall  had  felt  it  his  duty  to  inform  hi? 
partner  of  the  discovery.  Accordingly,  he  wrote  a  letter 
stating  the  facts,  and  sent  me  out  to  find  a  strange  Indian 
who  would  take  it  to  Captain  Sutter,  fearing  that  if  he  sent 
it  by  someone  who  was  acquainted  with  the  circumstances 
the  secret  might  leak  out.  About  this  time  Wm.  Johnston 
found  that  he  had  some  urgent  business  below  and  must  go 
there,  and  did  so;  he  went  to  the  gristmill  and  along  the 
camps  on  that  mill  race.  Then  somehow  or  other  the  bag 
came  untied  and  our  old  cat  and  all  the  kittens  ran  out,  and 
to  the  camps  they  went,  until  everybody  heard  of  the  gold 
discovery.  But,  like  all  great  truths,  people  were  slow  to 
believe  the  story. 

In  a  short  time,  however,  Sidney  S.  S.  Willis  and 
Wilford  Hudson,  whose  curiosity  had  been  aroused,  began 
to  feel  that  they  would  like  a  little  venison;  and  with  that 
for  an  excuse  they  took  their  guns  and  set  out  on  foot,  hav- 
ing been  assured  that  by  following  up  the  river  they  would 
come  to  the  sawmill,  which  they  succeeded  in  doing  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  IO3 

first  day.  I  think  it  was  only  a  thirty-five  miles  journey. 
I  believe  they  stayed  one  day  and  two  nights  with  us;  then, 
after  a  thorough  examination  of  the  bedrock,  sand  and 
gravel,  and  the  surroundings,  they  gathered  a  few  speci- 
mens, among  which  was  one  nugget  worth  about  five 
dollars — the  largest  by  long  odds  that  had  been  discovered 
up  to  that  time. 

As  Willis  and  Hudson  passed  back  on  their  way  home, 
they  discovered  a  small  ravine  or  creek  in  which  there  was 
some  of  the  same  kind  of  bedrock  which  they  had  seen  at 
the  mill  race,  and  by  picking  around  in  the  sand  and  gravel 
they  discovered  quite  a  rich  prospect.  That  was  just  above 
what  was  afterwards  called  Mormon  Island,  about  twelve 
or  fifteen  miles  above  the  gristmill,  and  about  the  same 
distance  below  the  sawmill.  Then  they  returned  to  the 
mill,  told  their  story,  and  showed  the  specimens  to  the 
boys.  Some  of  these  went  to  Sutter's  Fort,  to  a  little 
grocery  store  kept  by  a  Mormon  named  Smith,  who  came 
around  Cape  Horn  to  California  by  the  ship  Brooklyn. 
The  story  of  the  find  was  told,  and  specimens  exhibited  to 
Smith,  who  wrote  to  Samuel  Brannan.  The  latter  was 
publishing  a  paper  in  San  Francisco  at  the  time;  and  from 
that  press  the  news  went  forth  to  the  world.  Brannan  was 
a  Mormon  Elder,  and  the  press  was  owned  by  a  company 
of  Mormons  who  had  sailed  from  New  York  around  Cape 
Horn,  and  were  presided  over  by  Samuel  Brannan. 

From  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  Mormons 
flocked  to  Mormon  Island;  then  people  from  every  part  of 
the  United  States  followed,  and  the  search  for  gold  com- 
menced in  earnest.  With  jack,  butcher,  and  table  knives, 
the  search  was  made  in  the  crevices,  after  stripping  the  soil 
from  the  bedrock  with  pick  and  shovel.  Next,  we  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  washing  the  sand  and  fine  gravel  in  tin 
pans,  but  these  were  scarce  and  hard  to  get  hold  of.  Alex- 
ander Stephens  dug  out  a  trough,  leaving  the  bottom  round 


104  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER 

like  a  log.  He  would  fill  that  with  sand  and  gravel  that 
we  scraped  off  the  bedrock,  and  would  shake  it,  having 
arranged  it  so  as  to  to  pour  or  run  water  on  the  gravel; 
finally  he  commenced  to  rock  the  trough,  which  led  to  the 
idea  of  a  rocker.  His  process  caused  the  gold  to  settle  at 
the  bottom;  then  he  arranged  the  apparatus  on  an  incline 
so  that  the  gold  would  work  down  and  also  to  the  lower 
end  of  the  trough.  At  short  intervals  he  would  turn  what 
was  collected  into  a  tub  of  water,  and  at  night  it  would  be 
cleaned  and  weighed  on  a  pair  of  wooden  scales  that 
Stephens  made  also,  using  silver  coins  for  weights,  count- 
ing the  silver  dollar  equal  to  one  ounce  of  gold.  This 
rocker  led  to  the  renowned  gold  rocker;  I  am  under  the 
impression  that  Stephens  made  the  first  rocker  ever  used 
in  California. 

The  next  and  last  process  that  we  used  in  gathering 
gold  was  to  spread  a  sheet  on  the  sandy  beach  of  the 
river,  placing  some  big  rocks  on  the  corners  and  sides  to 
keep  it  well  stretched.  We  then  would  fill  in  the  rich  dirt 
on  the  upper  edge,  and  throw  on  water  to  wash  the  dirt 
down  into  the  river,  leaving  the  gold  on  the  sheet.  Occa- 
sionally we  took  up  the  sheet  and  dipped  it  into  a  tub  of 
water,  washing  the  gold  off  the  sheet  into  the  tub.  At 
night  we  would  clean  up  our  day's  work,  averaging  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  dollars  each.  Our  best  paying  dirt  was 
carried  on  our  shoulders  from  Dry  Gulch,  fifteen  to  sixty 
rods  to  where  we  could  find  water  to  wash  it.  We  made 
buckskin  pouches  or  wallets  to  carry  the  gold  in;  it  was 
not  dust,  nor  yet  nuggets,  but  small  scales. 

Sutter's  capital  and  enterprise  and  Marshall's  shrewd 
sagacity  have  been  given  the  credit  of  the  great  gold  dis- 
covery in  California.  The  facts  are,  that  James  W.  Mar- 
shall discovered  the  first  color;  in  less  than  an  hour  six 
Mormons  found  color  as  well,  and  within  six  weeks  Mor- 
mons  had  discovered   it   in   hundreds   of   places   that   Mr. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  IO5 

Marshall  had  never  seen,  the  most  notable  of  which  was 
Mormon  Island,  to  where  the  first  rush  was  made,  and 
from  where  the  news  was  spread  to  the  world.  As  to 
Sutter's  enterprise  and  capital,  he  furnished  the  graham 
flour  and  mutton,  wheat  and  peas,  black  coffee  and  brown 
sugar,  teams  and  tools,  while  we,  the  members  of  the 
Mormon  Battalion,  did  the  hard  labor  that  discovered  the 
metal.  It  is  also  true  that  we  were  in  Sutter's  employ  at 
that  date,  and  that  we  did  not  get  paid  for  our  labor.  I 
worked  one  hundred  days  for  the  firm,  and  never  received 
a  farthing  for  it.  I  heard  a  number  of  other  men  say  they 
never  got  their  pay.  It  was  our  labor  that  developed  the 
find,  and  not  Marshall's  and  Sutter's,  and  we  were  never 
paid  for  it;  when  we  went  for  a  settlement  we  were  told  by 
Captain  Sutter  that  he  could  not  settle  with  us,  for  his 
bookkeeper  had  gone  to  the  mines,  and  his  books  were  not 
posted.  He  cursed  Marshall  and  the  mines,  and  declared 
that  he  was  a  ruined  man;  that  the  discovery  was  his  ruin, 
for  it  had  drawn  off  his  laborers  and  left  everything  to  go  to 
rack,  and  that  he  was  being  robbed. 

I  do  not  wish  it  to  be  understood  that  I  charge  Sutter 
and  Marshall  with  being  dishonorable,  for  I  do  not.  I  think 
they  were  honorable  men  in  a  business  way.  The  fact  is, 
they  were  completely  overrun  with  all  classes  of  people, 
and  were  confused,  so  that  the  people  took  advantage  of 
them,  their  business  was  undermined,  and  there  was  a 
general  collapse  of  their  affairs  and  of  every  industry  and 
business.  The  cry  was,  "Gold!  Gold!  More  Gold!  Away 
to  the  gold  fields!"  Every  other  enterprise  was  sacrificed 
in  the  rush  for  gold. 

With  due  respect  to  Captain  John  A.  Sutter  and  James 
W.  Marshall,  to  whom  the  world  has  given  the  credit  for 
the  great  gold  find,  I  believe  that  if  they  had  been  taken 
out  and  shot  to  death  the  day  of  the  discovery,  they  would 
have  suffered  less,  and  would  have  met  their  Maker  just  as 


106  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

pure,  if  not  more  honored  in  this  world,  than  to  have  lived 
and  endured  what  they  did.  As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I 
say  peace  to  their  remains,  for  on  this  earth  they  have  been 
greatly  wronged,  if  I  have  read  their  history  correctly. 
Like  a  lynching  scrape  where  there  is  an  outburst  of  the 
people,  it  is  very  difficult  to  find  those  who  are  responsible 
for  the  crime.  Regarding  the  wrongs  did  these  men,  it 
seemed  as  if  the  whole  population  of  that  locality  picked  on 
them. 

I  will  add  here,  that  my  account  of  the  gold  discovery 
in  California  was  submitted  in  1893  to  the  following  mem- 
bers of  the  party  who  were  at  the  place  in  January,  1848, 
and  who  were  the  only  survivors  within  my  reach  at  the 
time:  Orrin  Hatch  and  William  S.  Muir,  Woods  Cross, 
Davis  County;  George  W.  Boyd,  and  H.  D.  Merrill,  Salt 
Lake  City;  and  Israel  Evans,  Lehi,  Utah  County,  Utah. 
They  united  in  giving  me  a  certificate  that  they  knew  this 
account  to  be  a  true  and  correct  statement  of  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  California,  at  Sutter's  mill  race. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  107 


CHAPTER     XV. 

PREPARE  TO  LEAVE  CALIFORNIA— SNOW  IN  THE  MOUNTAIN-  CAUSES  A 
WAIT  TILL  THE  LAST  OP  JUNE— DISCOVER  A  RICH  GOLD  PROSPECT 
—LEAVE  IT  TO  MAKE  THE  JOURNEY  OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS— NO 
REGRETS  AT  ABANDONING  THE  MINES  IN  ANSWER  TO  THE  CALL 
OF  DUTY— CAMP  ORGANIZED  IN  PLEASANT  VALLEY— START  OX 
THE  TRIP— THREE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  PARTY  AHEAD,  LOOKING 
OUT  THE  ROUTE,  FOUND  MURDERED  MY  INDIANS  AT  TKAi.KDY 
SPRINGS— COVERING  THE  BODIES  — STAMPEDE  OF  ANIMALS— 
i.l  \K1HN(.  AGAINST  EO8TILE  INDIANS— CROSSING  THE  DIVIDE  IN 
SNOW— THE  WRITER  FOOLED— TAKE  TWO  INDIANS  PRISONERS- 
CUTTING  \  ROAD— HORSES  STOLEN  BY  INDIANS— PURSUIT  To 
CAPTURE  THEM— IN  CARSON  VALLEY— ALONG  HUMBOLDT  RIVER— 
AT  STEAMBOAT  SPRINGS— OVER  THE  DESERT— MEMBER  OF  THE 
PART?  WANT8  TO  KILL  INDIANS— THE  WRITER'S  EMPHATIC  OB- 
JECTION-INDIANS WOUND  STOCK— ADDISON  PRATT  AS  A  LUCKY 
FISHERMAN— WRITER  TRADES  WITH  AN  INDIAN— THE  RED  MAN'S 
TRICK— WRITER  PURS1  ES  HIM  INTO  THE  INDIAN  CAMP— ESCAPE 
FROM  DANGER  —  JOURNEY  TO  BEAR  RIVER— HOT  AND  COLD 
WATER  SPRING — REACH  BOX  ELDER— VIEW  THE  GREAT  SALT 
LAKE— ARRIVE  AT  OGDEN,  WHERE  CAPTAIN  BROWN  AND  SOME 
SAINTS  HAD  SETTLED-JOURNEY  TO  THE  MORMON  CAMP  ON 
WHAT  J-  Now  PIONEER  SQUARE,  SALT  LAKE  CITY— HEARTILY 
WELCOMED  BY  RELATIVES  AND  FRIENDS -RE  JOICING  AND 
THANKSGri  INl. 

IN  June,  1848,  some  thirty-seven  members  of  the  Mor- 
mon Battalion  rendezvoused  at  a  flat  some  six  or  eight 
miles  from  Coloma.  California,  near  where  the  first  gold 
discovery  was  made.  This  assemblage  was  preparatory  to 
crossing  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains  at  or  near  the 
head  of  the  American  River;  for  we  had  learned  that  it 
was  next  to  impossible  to  take  wagons  at  this  time 
of  the  year  by  what  was  called  the  Truckee  route,  and  as 
wre  had  become  accustomed  to  pioneer  life  it  was  thought 
we  could  find  a  better  route,  so  it  was  proposed  to  open  up 


IOS  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

one  by  the  way  stated.  We  had  been  successful  in  get 
ing  a  few  hundred  dollars  each  from  the  mines,  and  had 
fitted  ourselves  out  with  wagons  and  ox  teams,  seeds  and 
tools;  for  our  protection  on  the  journey  we  bought  of  Cap- 
tain Sutter  two  brass  Russian  cannon,  one  a  four  pounder 
and  the  other  a  six-pounder. 

Some  of  the  company,  eight  or  ten,  had  pitched  camp 
at  the  site  selected,  and  were  waiting  for  others  who  were 
tardy  in  getting  their  outfit.  Early  in  May,  a  party  con- 
sisting of  David  Browett,  Ira  J.  Willis,  J.  C.  Sly,  Israel 
Evans,  Jacob  M.  Truman,  Daniel  Allen,  Henderson  Cox, 
Robert  Pixton,  and,  I  think,  J.  R.  Allred,  went  out  about 
two  or  three  days  ahead,  and  found  the  country  covered 
with  deep  snow,  so  that  at  that  time  it  was  impracticable  to 
go  forward  with  the  wagons;  the  party  therefore  returned 
to  the  main  camp,  and  waited  till  the  last  of  June.  During 
this  wait,  David  Browett,  Daniel  Allen  and  Henderson  Cox, 
being  anxious  to  be  moving,  started  a  second  time  to  search 
out  the  route,  and  were  surprised  at  night  and  all  were 
killed  by  Digger  Indians.  They  had  been  gone  some 
eight  or  ten  days  before  the  main  body  got  together,  and 
about  twenty  days  before  we  started.  Alexander  Stephens 
and  I,  it  seems  to  me,  and  some  two  or  three  others,  did 
not  join  the  party,  as  I  remember,  until  June  29. 

The  day  before  starting  from  the  gold  diggings  on  our 
journey  was  kind  of  an  off-day,  in  which  the  writer  had 
some  spare  time  and  wandered  off  from  camp,  with  pick 
and  shovel,  up  into  a  dry  gulch,  where  he  soon  struck  a 
very  rich  prospect  of  gold,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
water.  This  was  about  11  o'clock  a.  m.  By  sundown  he 
had  carried  the  rich  dirt  down  in  his  pantaloons,  and  washed 
out  forty-nine  dollars  and  fifty  cents  in  gold;  yet  kind 
reader,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  he,  with  his  partners, 
hitched  up  and  rolled  out  the  next  morning,  and  joined  the 
main  camp  at  what  we  called   Pleasant   Valley,  but  now,  I 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  IO9 

think,  known  as  Dutch  Flat.  I  have  never  seen  that  rich 
spot  of  earth  since;  nor  do  I  regret  it,  for  there  always  has 
been  a  higher  object  before  me  than  gold.  We  had  cove- 
nanted to  move  together  under  certain  conditions,  and  those 
conditions  existing  we  were  in  honor  bound  to  move  the 
next  day.  We  did  move,  leaving  that  rich  prospect  without 
ever  sticking  a  stake  in  the  gulch,  but  abandoning  it  to 
those  who  might  follow.  Some  may  think  we  were  blind 
to  our  own  interests;  but  after  more  than  forty  years  we 
look  back  without  regrets,  although  we  did  see  fortunes  in 
the  land,  and  had  many  inducements  to  stay.  People  said, 
'•Here  is  gold  on  the  bedrock,  gold  on  the  hills,  gold  in  the 
rills,  gold  everywhere,  gold  to  spend,  gold  to  lend,  gold  for 
all  that  wiJl  delve,  and  soon  you  can  make  an  independent 
fortune."  We  could  realize  all  that.  Still  duty  called,  our 
honor  was  at  stake,  we  had  covenanted  with  each  other, 
there  was  a  principle  involved;  for  with  us  it  was  God  and 
His  kingdom  first.  We  had  friends  and  relatives  in  the 
wilderness,  yea,  in  an  untried,  desert  land,  and  who  knew 
their  condition:  We  did  not.  So  it  was  duty  before 
pleasure,  before  wealth,  and  with  this  prompting  we  rolled 
out  and  joined  our  comrades  in  Pleasant  Valley. 

At  our  camp  in  Pleasant  Valley  we  organized  with 
Jonathan  Holmes  as  president,  and  with  captains  of  tens. 
Then  there  were  chosen  eight  or  nine  vaqueros  or  herds- 
men, to  take  charge  of  all  the  loose  stock  from  4  a.  m.  till 
8  p.  m.;  but  in  the  main  the  herdsmen  were  the  chief  pio- 
neers for  the  camp.  I  remember  only  a  few  of  them:  W. 
Sidney,  S.  S.  Willis,  Israel  Evans,  Jacob  M.  Truman,  Wes- 
ley Adair  and  James  S.  Brown. 

The  date  of  our  start  from  Pleasant  Valley  I  cannot 
now  recall,  further  than  that  it  was  between  the  25th  of 
June  and  the  1st  of  July.  We  made  slow  progress,  for  the 
road  was  very  rough.  About  six  of  us  rode  ahead,  and 
looked  out  and  marked  the  route.    We  would  go  ahead  half 


IIO  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

the  day,  and  then  return  to  meet  the  train,  often  rinding 
them  camped,  the  men  working  the  road,  cutting  the  tim- 
ber, rolling  rock,  and  digging  dugways,  or  mending  wagons. 
Sometimes  we  had  to  lay  over  a  day  or  two  to  make  the 
road  passable. 

Thus  we  pushed  forward  on  our  journey  till  we  came 
to  a  place  we  called  Tragedy  Springs,  for  near  a  beautiful 
spring  at  this  place  we  found  the  remains  of  the  three  breth- 
ren who  had  preceded  us,  they  having  been  murdered  by 
Indians,  and  buried  in  a  shallow  grave.  We  first  found 
bloody  arrows,  then  stones  with  blood  on  them,  then  the 
nude  bodies,  partly  uncovered;  these  were  recognized  by 
Daniel  Allen's  purse  of  gold  near  by.  Our  feelings  can- 
not be  described  through  the  medium  of  the  pen,  therefore 
I  must  leave  these  to  the  reader's  imagination.  We  built  a 
wall  of  rough  rock  around  the  grave,  then  covered  it  with 
flat  stones  to  protect  the  bodies  from  wild  beasts.  This 
was  the  best  we  could  do,  for  the  bodies  were  so  decom- 
posed that  we  could  not  do  more.  The  names  of  the  de- 
ceased and  manner  of  death,  with  proper  dates,  were  cut 
in  a  large  tree  that  stood  near  by. 

The  night  we  came  to  Tragedy  Springs  was  very 
dark,  and  our  camp  being  in  a  dense  forest  of  large  trees, 
the  darkness  was  intensified.  Guards  were  at  their  posts 
around  stock  and  camp,  when  suddenly,  from  some  cause 
we  never  knew,  the  stock  stampeded.  This  raised  a  great 
excitement,  and  before  it  subsided  one  of  our  cannon  was 
discharged;  as  it  belched  forth  its  stream  of  fire,  and  the 
sound  of  the  explosion  echoed  in  forest  and  hills,  the  ani- 
mals were  stampeded  still  worse,  only  a  few  horses  that  had 
been  securely  tied  remaining.  We  were  compelled  to  lay 
by  for  two  days  to  get  things  together,  but  we  finally  did 
so,  recovering  all  our  stock. 

We  made  another  start,  going  to  a  place  we  called 
Leek  Springs,  because  of  there  being  so  many  leeks  growing 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  Ill 

wild.  We  had  to  stop  over  and  mark  our  way  among  rocky 
ridges.  Thence  we  moved  on,  musket  in  one  hand,  or  in  a 
handy  place  to  the  teamster,  with  his  goad  or  whip  in  the 
other  hand,  the  train  moving  in  close  order  and  constantly 
on  the  alert  for  an  attack  by  man  or  beast. 

We  ascended  3  very  high  spur  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
range,  on  the  south  side.  When  we  reached  the  summit 
the  wind  blew  as  if  it  wrere  the  middle  of  November.  As 
we  crossed  over  we  came  to  a  large  snowdrift;  on  the  north 
side  of  the  mountain  our  wragons  rolled  over  the  snow  as  if 
on  marble  pavement,  but  when  we  came  to  where  the  sun 
had  shone  in  the  latter  part  of  the  day,  our  wagons  went 
down  to  the  hub,  and  four  were  capsized  and  some  of  them 
badly  broken.  The  others  succeeded  in  reaching  the  bot- 
tom in  safety.  It  took  us  till  afrer  dark  to  pick  up  the 
pieces  and  get  them  together  to  be  ready  to  start  the  next 
morning. 

We  all  gathered  around  the  campfire  and  discussed 
the  subject  of  standing  guard,  when  the  writer  remarked 
tnat  there  was  no  need  of  guards — that  he  would  agree  to 
take  care  of  all  the  Indians  that  would  come  around  that 
night,  for  it  was  so  cold  and  disagreeable  that  he  supposed 
no  human  being  would  come  there  from  choice.  Just  then 
someone  inquired  what  an  object  on  a  rock  was.  Some 
said  it  was  an  owl,  others  that  it  was  an  Indian.  Two  or 
three  of  us  took  our  guns  and  sallied  forth  to  settle  the  dis- 
pute finding  to  our  surprise  two  Indians  with  feathered 
headdresses  on,  and  with  long  bows,  and  quivers  full  of 
arrows.  They  were  within  easy  bowshot  of  us.  The 
party  had  the  laugh  on  the  writer  for  once. 

We  took  the  Indians  prisoners,  disarmed  them,  and 
prepared  a  place  for  them  to  sleep,  after  giving  them  their 
supper.  The  writer  was  one  called  on  to  guard  them,  and 
he  promptly  complied.  The  Indians  made  good  company, 
though  they  were   very  nervous,  and  we   had  to   threaten 


112  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

them  frequently  to  keep  them  from  making  a  break  for 
liberty.  At  midnight  the  guards  were  changed,  and  at 
dawn  we  made  ready  to  descend  to  the  camp  below,  arriv- 
ing there  just  as  the  Indians  moved  off;  we  had  released 
our  prisoners.  The  Indians  soon  began  to  come  in  from 
every  quarter,  all  armed.  We  moved  in  close  order,  every 
man  well  armed.  The  savages  numbered  three  to  our  one; 
they  flanked  us  and  we  could  see  them  on  every  hand,  in 
threatening  attitude.  In  this  situation  we  had  to  chop  and 
roll  logs  out  of  the  way,  move  rock,  and  make  dugways, 
lifting  at  and  holding  wagons  to  keep  them  from  turning 
over.  Consequently,  our  progress  was  slow,  and  the 
journey  very  hazardous.  Finally,  when  wre  had  worked 
our  way  carefully  along  the  difficult  route,  passing  over 
the  summit  of  the  great  Sierras,  which  divide  the  waters  of 
the  great  deserts  from  those  which  flow  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  the  threatening  red  men  slunk  out  of  sight,  and  we 
found  a  rough  camping  place,  where  we  lay  all  night  upon 
our  arms,  but  nothing  came  to  alarm  us. 

We  continued  down  the  canyon  and  came  to  a  more 
open  country,  camping  by  a  river  bend  where  there  was 
good  feed,  water,  and  fuel.  We  had  begun  to  feel  more 
safe  from  the  red  men,  yet  that  night  they  stole  in  past  our 
guards  and  took  some  of  our  saddle  horses  which  were 
tied  within  four  or  five  rods  of  our  wagons.  The  Indians 
escaped,  and  were  detected  only  by  our  guards  hearing 
them  cross  the  river;  this  was  about  4  a.  m.  Early  in  the 
morning  we  learned  more  definitely  our  loss,  and  eight  or 
ten  of  us  gave  pursuit,  following  the  trail  across  a  sandy 
countrv  and  over  the  foothills,  ultimately  succeeding  in  the 
recovery  of  all  our  horses  but  one,  and  for  that  we  captured 
an  Indian  pony  that  had  the  distemper,  as  we  discovered 
after  it  had  been  turned  into  our  herd.  That  was  one  of 
the  hardest  day's  rides  that  the  writer  remembers  in  all  his 
experiences,  for  we  put    our  horses   through  all   they  could 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  113 

live  for.  Every  moment  we  were  liable  to  ambush,  for  the 
Indians  divided  into  three  parties  and  we  did  the  same. 
One  of  our  party  supposed  he  had  killed  an  Indian,  or  cer- 
tainlv  wounded  him.  just  as  he  entered  into  the  thick 
brush. 

It  was  late  the  next  day  when  we  resumed  our  journey. 
and  that  night  we  camped  in  Carson  Valley,  where  we 
looked  on  an  extensive  plain  or  desert.  Being  unable  to 
discern  any  evidences  of  water,  we  turned  to  the  north, 
just  under  the  base  of  the  mountains,  traveling  over  a  very 
hard  route,  until  we  came  to  the  Truckee  River,  where  we 
entered  the  old  emigrant  road.  We  followed  that  road  till 
we  came  to  the  sink  of  the  Humboldt,  then  called  St. 
Mary's  River.  The  distance  was  said  to  be  forty-five 
miles;  be  that  as  it  may.  we  were  twenty-four  hours  cov- 
ering it,  and  I  do  not  think  we  had  any  rest  or  sleep  during 
the  whole  trip. 

We  passed  the  wonderful  Hot  or  Steamboat  Springs. 
I  remember  seeing  a  dog  run  up  to  one  of  them  as  if  to 
lap  the  water,  and  as  he  did  so  his  feet  slipped  into  the 
edge  of  the  pool.  He  was  so  surprised  at  the  heat  that  he 
gave  one  yelp  of  pain  and  jumped  into  the  middle  of  the 
spring,  stretched  out  his  legs,  and  never  gave  another  kick. 
In  a  very  short  time  the  hair  was  all  scalded  off  him.  The 
incident  reminded  me  of  the  story  of  a  Dutchman  who, 
when  he  came  to  a  hot  spring,  ordered  his  teamster  to  drive 
on,  as  hell  could  not  be  more  than  a  mile  away.  We  did 
not  feel  to  blame  the  Dutchman,  if  the  springs  were  like 
this;  for,  from  the  surroundings,  hades  did  not  appear  to  be 
far  off,  and  we  passed  on  without  any  desire  to  linger  about 
the  dreadful  place.  It  was  about  4  a.  m.  when,  as  we 
approached  the  Humboldt  River,  our  horses  and  cattle 
hoisted  their  heads,  began  to  sniff,  and  broke  into  a  trot; 
from  that  they  started  into  a  run,  and  we  had  enough  to  do 
to  keep  up  with  them  till  they  reached  the  water. 


114  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

We  had  a  short  rest,  and  resumed  our  journey,  for 
there  was  no  food  for  our  stock,  and  the  water  was  brack- 
ish, so  we  traveled  eight  or  ten  miles  and  camped  for  the 
night.  As  the  grazing  was  still  short,  we  made  a  very  early 
start,  and  were  soon  joined  by  two  Indians,  who  remained 
with  us  all  day  and  were  very  friendly.  When  we  camped 
they  stopped  with  us,  and  as  we  had  been  told  the  place 
was  a  dangerous  one  for  Indians,  the  presence  of  these  two 
caused  a  suspicion  that  they  were  spies,  and  probably  would 
signal  their  fellows  when  to  attack  the  train. 

We  had  been  in  camp  only  a  short  time  when  a  white 
horse  was  led  in.  The  animal  had  a  slight  wound  on  his 
wethers  and  a  mark  of  blood  some  six  inches  down  on  his 
shoulder.  This  wound  had  been  caused  by  the  horse  roll- 
ing on  some  burned  willow  stumps,  one  of  the  men  having 
seen  him  roll;  and  there  were  on  the  animal  the  black 
marks  from  the  charred  wood.  Yet  some  of  the  camp 
insisted  that  the  wounds  were  from  Indian  arrow's.  At  this 
time  some  one  came  up  from  the  river  and  caused  a  flame 
of  excitement  by  saying  he  had  seen  an  Indian  skulking  in 
the  brush,  although  he  admitted  that  it  might  have  been  a 
bird  or  a  wild  animal,  for,  while  he  saw  something  move, 
he  was  not  in  a  position  to  say  just  what  it  was.  The  dis- 
cussion.now  waxed  hot,  and  one  man  leveled  his  gun  at  one 
of  the  Indians,  declaring  he  would  shoot  him.  The  writer 
was  standing  near  by  and  caught  the  gun  to  prevent  such 
an  act,  and  was  in  turn  threatened  with  being  shot,  when 
the  trouble  was  stopped  by  others  interfering. 

That  night,  when  the  camp  was  called  together  as 
usual,  for  prayers  and  consultation,  and  prayers  had  been 
said,  the  same  man  who  had  threatened  to  shoot  the  Indian 
moved  that  we  lay  by  the  next  day,  hunt  down  all  the 
Indians  we  could  rind,  and  by  killing  rid  the  country  of  the 
'•d — d  black  rascals."  This  startling  proposition  seemed 
to  stun  the   senses   of  the    men  for  a   moment,   for  no  such 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    {AMES    S.    BROWN.  II5 

spirit  had  invaded  the  camp  before,  our  motto  being  peace 
on  earth,  good  will  to  man.  The  proposition  was  so  re- 
pugnant to  the  writer's  feelings  that  he  made  his  maiden 
speech  in  strongly  opposing  the  motion,  declaring  that  if 
such  a  cruel  step  were  taken  he  would  be  a  swift  witness 
against  all  who  engaged  in  the  wicked  and  savage  action; 
he  also  asserted  that  he  would  inform  on  them  at  the  earliest 
opportunity,  for  as  yet  the  Indians  in  that  vicinity  had  done 
us  no  harm,  and  it  was  as  much  murder  to  kill  one  of  them 
as  to  kill  a  white  man.  Others  sided  with  the  writer  and 
the  matter  was  dropped. 

We  passed  on  up  the  river  until  we  came  to  near  the 
narrows  or  canyon.  There  some  of  our  stock  was  wounded 
by  Indian  arrows.  I  do  not  recall  just  how  many  were 
injured  or  died  from  their  wounds.  The  Indians  who  did 
the  damage  kept  out  of  our  sight. 

I  must  mention  Elder  Addison  Pratt,  who  joined  us  at 
Sutter's  Fort,  as  he  was  returning  from  a  five  years'  mis- 
sion to  the  Society  Islands,  in  the  South  Pacific  Ocean.  He 
was  a  great  fisherman,  and  it  was  along  this  part  of  the 
route  that  he  used  to  catch  the  little  speckled  irout  in  such 
numbers  as  to  attract  both  our  admiration  and  our  gratitude. 
He  would  go  where  no  one  else  would  ever  think  of  finding 
fish,  and  would  meet  with  wonderful  success.  In  fact,  some 
of  the  party  were  so  astonished  at  his  good  luck  that  they 
declared  he  could  catch  fish  in  a  cow  track.  He  was  a 
good,  jolly  soul,  and  made  the  best  of  everything. 

Our  train  journeyed  on  in  peace  till  we  came  to  Goose 
Creek,  where  the  writer  traded  a  mare  to  an  Indian,  for  a 
mule.  The  red  man  was  given  several  articles  for  the  dif- 
ference. He  sauntered  around  for  a  little  while,  then 
mounted  the  mule,  and  away  he  went,  taking  the  articles 
with  him.  The  writer  pursued  alone  for  four  or  five  miles, 
and  first  thing  he  knew  was  too  near  the  Indian  camp  to 
turn    back,    so    he    rushed    in    among    them,    dismounted, 


Il6  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

changed  the  mare  for  the  mule,  and  rode  off.  The  Indians 
looked  surprised  and  frightened,  and  made  no  resistance.  I 
never  realized  the  hazard  I  had  taken  till  the  danger  was 
over;  then  I  was  glad  to  rejoin  my  fellow-travelers. 

We  crossed  Goose  Creek  Mountains  and  again  struck 
out  into  the  trackless  desert,  pioneering  our  own  way, 
rolling  the  rocks  and  cutting  the  road.  We  reached  the 
Malad,  a  very  difficult  stream  to  cross,  but  we  succeeded  in 
getting  over  without  serious  damage.  From  there  our 
route  lay  to  the  Bear  River,  which  we  crossed  in  safety  by 
blocking  up  our  wagon  boxes.  I  think  the  crossing  was 
made  just  above  where  Bear  River  City  is  now  located. 
From  there  we  traveled  southward  under  the  base  of  the 
mountains  to  where  we  found  two  springs,  one  of  hot  water 
and  the  other  of  very  cold  water,  within  a  very  few  feet  of 
each  other;  they  flowed  in  the  same  gulch  or  ravine.  Along 
this  route  we  had  naught  but  an  Indian  trail  to  guide  us. 
When  we  reached  Box  Elder  we  thought  it  the  finest  place 
we  had  seen  since  leaving  Carson  Valley. 

While  in  California  we  had  learned  that  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  had  settled  near  the  south  end  of  the  Great  Salt 
Lake;  and  as  we  had  been  in  sight,  from  the  mountains,  of 
the  north  end  of  the  lake  for  some  days,  we  began  to  feel 
that  we  were  nearing  a  place  of  rest.  We  journeved  on  till 
we  came  to  the  Ogden  and  Weber  rivers,  where  we  found 
that  Captain  James  Brown,  of  company  C  of  the  Mormon 
Battalion,  and  a  few  of  the  Saints  had  settled;  the  country 
looked  very  wild.  We  still  pursued  our  way  southward, 
till  we  reached  the  present  site  of  Salt  Lake  City,  entering 
the  Sixth  Ward  Square— now  Pioneer  Square — where  the 
Saints  had  built  houses  and  a  stockade.  I  think  the  date 
of  our  arrival  at  this  place  was  the  28th  of  September, 
1848. 

We  were  heartily  welcomed,  by  relatives  and  friends, 
after  our  long   and   tedious   march   of  near   four  thousand 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  117 

miles,  and  our  more  than  two  years'  absence  from  those  we 
loved  and  who  loved  us.  Our  meeting  and  greeting  were 
far  more  joyous  and  precious  than  the  glittering  gold  we 
had  left  behind.  Neither  our  friends  nor  ourselves  had  any 
regrets  for  our  having  left  the  gold  fields  when  we  remem- 
bered our  marching  away,  over  two  years  before,  to  the 
tune  of  '-The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me."  for  we  were  so  very 
glad  to  find  her  again,  no  matter  if  it  were  in  a  desert. 
We  all  rejoiced,  and  gave  thanks  to  God  for  His  protecting 
care  and  our  safe  return  to  the  bosom  of  friends. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

CONTENTMENT  AMONG  THE  SAINTS  IN  GREAT  SALT  LAKE  VALLEY— 
RUDE  DWELLINGS  WD  SHORT  RATIONS— TRYING  EXPERIENCES— 
RESCUE  OF  MORMON  BATTALION  MEMBERS  PROM  STARVATION— 
CARRY  NEWS  OF  THE  CALIFORNIA  GOLD  DISCOVERT  TO  THE 
EAST-RE-UNION  <>F  MORMON   BATTALION    MEMBERS— ADDRESSES 

BY    THE     FIRST    PRESIDED  5      LND    OTHER ETTLING    A     NEW 

COUNTRY— ORGANIZATION  <>F  MINUTE  MEN— (OLD  WINTER— THE 
GOLD  FEVER— TENOR  OF  THE  PREACHINGS  AND  PROPHESYTNGS 
OF  THOSE  TIME! — [NSTRUCTING  THE  PEOPLE  IN  INDUSTRIAL 
PURSUITS— POLICY  TOWARD  THE  INDIANS. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  fact  of  the  aspect  in  the 
Great  Salt  Lake  Valley  being  gloomy,  most  of  the 
people  were  contented  with  their  lot,  although  the  experi- 
ences of  1847  and  1848  had  been  anything  but  encourag- 
ing. Some  of  the  inhabitants  w^ere  living  in  log  cabins, 
others  in  dugouts,  and  still  others  in  wagons,  while  some 
who  did  not  have  the  latter  had  built  brush  sheds;  almost 
everybody  was  living  on  short  rations,  crickets  and  grass- 
hoppers having  destroyed  most  of  the  crops.  The  wrhole 
face  of  the  country  was  brown  and  dry,  except  small  streaks 


Il8  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

along  the  water  courses.  There  was  no  provender  for  our 
stock,  and  we  could  only  turn  them  out.  upon  the  range, 
and  trust  them  and  ourselves  to  a  kind  Providence.  Tim- 
ber for  fuel  was  in  the  mountains,  and  higher  up  in  these 
there  was  timber  for  fencing  and  building  purposes.  In 
order  to  get  either,  we  had  to  make  roads  at  great  expense, 
building  bridges  and  cutting  dugways,  sometimes  going  in 
armed  companies  to  protect  ourselves  from  the  threatening 
Indian  tribes.  A  long  brush  bowery  was  built  in  the  town; 
we  met  there  for  religious  services,  and  for  all  other  purposes 
that  made  it  necessary  for  the  people  to  be  called  together. 

October  6,  1848.  a  general  conference  of  the  Church 
was  held,  and  the  people  as  a  rule  felt  blessed,  although 
there  were  a  few  who  were  very  much  discouraged  as  the 
rations  grew  short  and  the  cold  weather  pinched  more 
closely. 

Some  time  in  October,  news  reached  us  that  a  small 
detachment  of  the  Mormon  Battalion  coming  from  Califor- 
nia was  starving  to  death  on  the  western  deserts.  Their 
old  comrades  in  arms  soon  gathered  supplies  and  fitted  up 
a  team,  and  six  or  seven  of  us  went  out  to  give  assistance. 
We  met  the  suffering  company  at  the  point  of  the  West 
Mountains,  about  two  days  earlier  than  we  had  expected. 
The  men  were  suffering,  but  not  quite  so  badly  as  we  had 
been  led  to  believe  from  the  word  we  had  got.  It  was 
snowing  when  we  met  them,  and  continued  to  do  so  the 
greater  part  of  the  night  and  of  the  next  day,  so  that  we 
suffered  much  from  cold  before  we  reached  shelter,  for 
everything  was  soaked  through.  The  company  brought 
considerable  gold,  which  was  exhibited  to  many  of  the 
people. 

Some  of  our  comrades  were  not  so  fortunate  as  to  find 
their  families  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley,  so  they  pushed 
on  to  where  these  had  been  left,  in  Iowa  or  Nebraska. 
Those  men  bore  the  news   of   the   great   gold   discovery  in 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  II9 

California,  and.  as  evidence  of  the  truth  of  their  story. showed 
the  precious  metal  they  had  secured.  Thus  the  Mormon 
Battalion  not  only  was  at  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Califor- 
nia and  took  part  therein,  but  bore  the  news  thereof  east- 
ward, until  it  spread  to  the  world,  causing  great  excitement. 

The  last  detachment  of  the  battalion  for  the  season 
having  arrived  in  the  valley,  a  feast  was  prepared,  and  a 
re-union  of  the  soldiers  and  their  friends  was  called.  It 
was  made  as  grand  an  affair  as  could  be  under  the  circum- 
stances, Presidents  Brigham  Young  and  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball leading  out  with  liberal  hands.  We  were  welcomed 
in  royal  style;  interesting  speeches  were  made  by  the  First 
Presidency  of  the  Church,  and  also  by  the  officers  and  sol- 
diers of  the  battalion. 

From  that  time  things  moved  quietly,  people  making 
roads  and  getting  out  timber  for  various  purposes,  herding 
stock,  fencing,  and  so  on.  At  length  the  Indians  began  to 
run  off  and  kill  the  stock.  A  meeting  was  called  and  one 
hundred  men  selected  to  enroll  themselves  as  minute  men, 
the  writer  being  one  of  the  company.  We  were  required 
each  to  keep  a  horse  on  hand,  and  to  be  ready  at  a  minute's 
warning  to  march  to  any  point  of  attack.  We  had  to  fit 
out  ourselves,  as  there  was  no  quartermaster's  department 
on  which  officers  could  issue  requisitions  and  have  them 
honored.  We  had  to  provide  our  own  provisions,  and 
everything  necessary  for  a  campaign,  at  our  own  expense. 
Most  of  the  young  men  having  horses  of  their  own,  and 
many  of  them  having  become  expert  horsemen,  a  full  quota 
was  furnished  for  the  company.  We  had  turned  over  to 
the  Church  authorities,  for  the  public  defense,  our  two 
brass  Russian  cannon.  The  minute  men  met  for  drill  at 
regularly  appointed  times. 

The  winter  of  1848-9  was  quite  cold.  Many  people 
had  their  feet  badly  frozen.  For  one,  the  writer  suffered 
so  severely  from  this  cause  that  he  lost  every  nail  from  the 


120  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER 

toes  of  both  feet.  In  February  and  March  there  began  to 
be  some  uneasiness  over  the  prospects, and  as  the  days  grew 
warmer  the  gold  fever  attacked  many  so  that  they  prepared 
to  go  to  California.  Some  said  they  would  go  only  to  have 
a  place  for  the  rest  of  us;  for  they  thought  Brigham  Young 
too  smart  a  man  to  try  to  establish  a  civilized  colony  in 
such  a  "God-forsaken  country,"  as  they  called  the  valley. 
They  further  said  that  California  was  the  natural  country 
for  the  Saints;  some  had  brought  choice  fruit  pips  and 
seed,  but  said  they  would  not  waste  them  by  planting 
in  a  country  like  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley;  others 
stated  that  they  would  not  build  a  house  in  the  val- 
ley, but  would  remain  in  their  wagons,  for  certainly  our 
leaders  knew  better  than  to  attempt  to  make  a  stand  in 
such  a  dry,  worthless  locality,  and  would  be  going  on  to 
California,  Oregon  or  Vancouver's  Island;  still  others  said 
thev  would  wait  awhile  before  planting  choice  fruits,  as  it 
would  not  be  long  before  they  would  return  to  Jackson 
County,  Missouri. 

This  discouraging  talk  was  not  alone  bv  persons  who 
had  no  experience  in  farming  and  manufacturing,  but  by 
men  who  had  made  a  success  at  their  various  avocations 
where  they  had  been  permitted  to  work  in  peace,  before 
coming  west.  Good  farmers  said:  "Why  the  wheat 
we  grew  here  last  year  was  so  short  that  we  had  to 
pull  it;  the  heads  were  not  more  than  two  inches  long. 
Frost  falls  here  every  month  in  the  year — enough  to  cut 
down  all  tender  vegetation.  More,  James  Bridger  and 
Gudger,  who  have  been  in  this  country  ten  years  or  more, 
say  that  corn  cannot  be  raised  anywhere  in  these  mountains. 
In  fact,  Bridger  has  told  President  Young  that  he  will  give 
a  thousand  dollars  for  the  first  bushel  of  corn  raised  in  the 
open  air  here,  for  he  says  it  cannot  be  done." 

It  was  at  this  time  of  gloom  that  President  Young 
stood  before  the  whole  people,  and  said,  in  substance,  that 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  121 

some  people  had  misgivings,  and  some  were  murmuring, 
and  had  not  faith  to  go  to  work  and  make  their  families 
comfortable;  they  had  got  the  gold  fever  and  were  going 
to  California.  Said  he:  ''Some  have  asked  me  about  going. 
I  have  told  them  that  God  has  appointed  this  place  for  the 
gathering  of  His  Saints,  and  you  will  do  better  right  here 
than  you  will  by  going  to  the  gold  mines.  Some  have 
thought  they  would  go  there  and  get  fitted  out  and  come 
back,  but  I  told  them  to  stop  here  and  get  fitted  out.  Those 
who  stop  here  and  are  faithful  to  God  and  His  people  will 
make  more  money  and  get  richer  than  you  that  run  after 
the  god  of  this  world;  and  I  promise  you  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  that  many  of  you  that  go,  thinking  you  will  get 
rich  and  come  back,  will  wish  you  had  never  gone  away 
from  here,  and  will  long  to  come  back  but  will  not  be  able 
to  do  so.  Some  of  you  will  come  back,  but  your  friends  who 
remain  here  will  have  to  help  you;  and  the  rest  of  you  who 
are  spared  to  return  will  not  make  as  much  money  as  your 
brethren  do  who  stay  here  and  help  build  up  the  Church 
and  kingdom  of  God;  they  will  prosper  and  be  able  to  buy 
you  twice  over.  Here  is  the  place  God  has  appointed  for 
His  people.  We  have  been  kicked  out  of  the  frying-pan 
into  the  fire,  out  of  the  fire  into  the  middle  of  the  floor,  and 
here  we  are  and  here  we  will  stay.  God  has  shown  me 
that  this  is  the  spot  to  locate  His  people,  and  here  is  where 
they  will  prosper;  He  will  temper  the  elements  for  the 
good  of  His  Saints;  He  will  rebuke  the  frost  and  the  ster- 
ility of  the  soil,  and  the  land  shall  become  fruitful.  Breth- 
ren, go  to,  now,  and  plant  out  your  fruit  seeds."  Stretch- 
ing his  arms  to  the  east  and  to  the  west,  with  his 
hands  spread  out,  he  said:  "For  in  these  elements  are  not 
only  all  the  cereals  common  to  this  latitude,  but  the  apple, 
peach  and  plum;  yea,  and  the  more  delicate  fruits,  the 
strawberry  and  raspberry;  and  we  will  raise  the  grape  here 
and  manufacture  wine;  and  as  the    Saints   gather   here  and 


122  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

get  strong  enough  to  possess  the  land,  God  will  temper 
the  climate,  and  we  shall  build  a  city  and  a  temple  to  the 
Most  High  God  in  this  place.  We  will  extend  our  settle- 
ments to  the  east  and  west,  to  the  north  and  to  the  south,  and 
we  will  build  towns  and  cities  by  the  hundreds, and  thousands 
of  the  Saints  will  gather  in  from  the  nations  of  the  earth.) 
This  will  become  the  great  highway  of  the  nations.  Kings 
and  emperors  and  the  noble  and  wise  of  the  earth  will  visit 
us  here,  while  the  wicked  and  ungodly  will  envy  us  our 
comfortable  homes  and  possessions.  Take  courage,  breth- 
ren. I  can  stand  in  my  door  and  can  see  where  there  is 
untold  millions  of  the  rich  treasures  of  the  earth — gold  and 
silver.  But  the  time  has  not  come  for  the  Saints  to  dig 
gold.  It  is  our  duty  first  to  develop  the  agricultural  re- 
sources of  this  country,  for  there  is  no  country  on  the  earth 
that  is  more  productive  than  this.  We  have  the  finest  cli- 
mate, the  best  water,  and  the  purest  air  that  can  be  found 
on  the  earth;  there  is  no  healthier  climate  anywhere.  As 
for  gold  and  silver,  and  the  rich  minerals  of  the  earth,  there 
is  no  other  country  that  equals  this;  but  let  them  alone;  let 
others  seek  them,  and  we  will  cultivate  the  soil;  for  if  the 
mines  are  opened  first,  we  are  a  thousand  miles  from  any 
base  of  supplies,  and  the  people  would  rush  in  here  in  such 
great  numbers  that  they  would  breed  a  famine;  and  gold 
would  not  do  us  or  them  any  good  if  there  were  no  provis- 
ions in  the  land.  People  would  starve  to  death  with  bar- 
rels of  gold;  they  would  be  willing  to  give  a  barrel  of  gold 
for  a  barrel  of  flour  rather  than  starve  to  death.  Then, 
brethren,  plow  your  land  and  sow  wheat,  plant  your  pota- 
toes; let  the  mines  alone  until  the  time  comes  for  }tou  to  hunt 
gold,  though  I  do  not  think  this  people  ever  will  become  a 
mining  people.  It  is  our  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel,  gather 
Israel,  pay  our  tithing,  and  build  temples.  The  worst  fear 
that  I  have  about  this  people  is  that  they  will  get  rich  in 
this  country,  forget  God  and  His  people,  wax  fat,  and  kick 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  123 

themselves  out  of  the  Church  and  go  to  hell.  This  people 
will  stand  mobbing,  robbing,  poverty,  and  all  manner  of 
persecution,  and  be  true.  But  my  greater  fear  for  them  is 
that  they  cannot  stand  wealth;  and  yet  they  have  to  be  tried 
with  riches,  for  they  will  become  the  richest  people  on  this 
earth." 

My  dear  reader,  the  writer  stood  on  the  Sixth  Ward 
Square,  Salt  Lake  City,  in  the  year  1849,  fifty-one  years 
ago,  and  heard  the  foregoing  spoken  by  President  Brig- 
ham  Young.  Now  it  is  1900.  and  I  bear  my  testimony  to 
the  literal  fulfillment  of  most  of  those  sayings,  and  that  por- 
tion which  has  not  yet  come  to  pass  I  most  assuredly  be- 
lieve will  do  so.  I  entreat  the' reader  of  this  to  pause  and 
reflect.  Was  there  divine  irspiration  in  this  matter,  or 
not? 

About  the  same  time,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  one  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles,  told  the  people  to  save  the  hides  of  their 
cattle,  tan  them,  and  make  boots  and  shoes  for  their  fam- 
ilies. He  said  that  in  the  mountains  there  was  spruce, 
pine  bark,  and  shumac.  with  tanning  properties;  advised 
that  they  be  gathered,  and  the  beef  hides  tanned;  and  pre- 
dicted that  the  time  would  come  when  leather  would  be 
tanned  here,  and  boots  and  shoes  would  be  manufactured 
and  exported.  It  was  also  stated  that  we  would  raise  sheep 
here,  and  would  manufacture  woollen  fabrics  and  export 
them. 

As  the  writer  walked  away  from  meeting  that  day,  in 
company  with  some  old  and  tried  men,  v*  ho  had  been 
mobbed  and  robbed,  and  driven  from  their  homes,  and  whom 
he  looked  upon  almost  as  pillars  of  the  Church,  one  of  them 
said  he  had  passed  through  such  and  such  trials  in  the  past, 
but  that  that  day,  1849,  was  tne  darkest  he  ever  had  seen 
in  the  Church.  The  thought  of  trying  to  settle  this  bar- 
ren land,  he  said,  was  one  of  the  greatest  trials  he  had  met. 
There  were  some  three  of  the  party  particularly  whom  the 


124  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

writer  thought  were  staunch  men;  one  of  these  asked  an- 
other what  he  thought  of  the  preaching  that   day,  and   got 

the  reply  that  it  would  do  '-to  preach  to  d d  fools,  but  not 

to  men  of  sense" — that  it  was  insulting  to  a  man's  better 
senses,  it  was  absurd  to  think  that  it  was  possible  to  manu- 
facture anything  for  export  from  a  country  like  this,  where 
we  were  more  likely  to  starve  to  death  than  to  do  anything 
else.  Now,  after  half  a  century  has  passed  away,  the  writer 
refers  to  the  manufacturing  and  mercantile  establishments  in 
these  mountain  valleys  to  establish  which  were  the  divinely 
inspired  utterances  of  that  day. 

On  one  occasion  in  1849,  President  Heber  C.  Kimball, 
when  preaching  to  the  people,  exhorted  them  to  be  faith- 
ful as  Saints,  to  cultivate  the  earth,  and  let  others  dig  the 
gold.  He  said  it  was  not  for  the  Saints  to  dig  it,  but  the 
time  would  come  when  they  would  learn  to  use  it,  and  not 
abuse  it,  or  the  power  that  it  gives;  they  would  possess  it 
by  millions,  and  the  time  would  come  when  people  wrould 
be  willing  to  give  a  bushel  of  gold  for  a  bushel  of  wheat, 
when  judgments  and  calamities  would  be  poured  out  on 
the  nations  of  the  earth.  He  declared  that  people  would 
come  here  by  thousands,  yea,  tens  of  thousands  would  yet 
flee  to  Zion  for  safety;  they  would  come  with  their  burdens 
on  their  backs,  having  nothing  to  eat,  and  the  people  here 
would  have  to  feed  them;  others  would  bring  their  gold 
and  silver,  and  envy  the  people  here  their  peace  and  com- 
fort, for  God  would  temper  the  climate  so  that  the  Saints 
would  be  able  to  raise  everything  they  needed.  Elder 
Kimball  further  said:  "Brethren,  build  good,  large  gran- 
aries, fill  them  with  wheat,  and  keep  it  against  the  time  when 
it  will  be  needed.  Some  people  think  we  have  passed  the 
day  of  trial,  but  let  me  tell  you  that  you  need  not  fear  that, 
for  if  you  are  faithful  you  shall  have  all  the  trials  you  can 
bear,  and  if  you  are  not  faithful  you  will  have  more,  and 
will  apostatize  and   go  to  hell.     Some   people   have   come 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 25 

from  the    eastern   states   and    the    old    country    and    said: 
•"Brother  Kimball,  O  that  we  could  have  been  with  you   in 
Kirtland,  in  Jackson   county,  and   in   Nauvoo,  and   shared 
the  trials  of  the  Saints  with  you!"   Brethren,  hold  on  a  little 
while,  and  you  shall  have  all  the  trials   you   will  be  able  to 
stand;  for  God  has  said  that   He  will   have  a  tried   people, 
so  you  may  prepare  yourselves;  for  before  the   roof   is   on 
the  temple  that  we  will  build  here,  the  devils  will  begin  to 
howl,  and  before  the  capstone  is  laid  you  will  begin  to  have 
vour  trials.      Your  leaders   will  be  hunted   as   wild   beasts; 
we  shall  not  be  with  you.  and  men  will  be  left  to  themselves 
for  awhile.     Then  is  the  time  that  you  should  be  filled  with 
light,  that  you  may  be    able  to  stand   through   the   days  of 
trial.     Now,  you  can  leave  your  bench-tools   on  the   work- 
bench, and  your  plows  and  farming  tools  in   the   field;   and 
can  lie  down    and  go   to   sleep    without    locking  or  bolting 
your  doors;  but  the  time  will  come   when,  if  you   do   this, 
your  tools  will  be  stolen  from  you.     These  mountains   will 
be  filled  with  robbers,  highwaymen,  and  all  kinds  of  thieves 
and  murderers,  for  the  spirit  of  the  old   Gadianton   robbers 
lurks  here   in    the   mountains,  and   will   take    possession  of 
men,  and  you  will  have  to  watch  as   well  as   pray,  to  keep 
thieves  away.       Therefore,    brethren,   begin    now   to  take 
better  care  of  your    tools;   attach  locks  and  bolts  to   your 
doors,  and  do  not  wait  until  the    horse  is  stolen  before   you 
lock  the  door."     Elder   Kimball  referred  to   the  fact   that 
the  young  men  were  becoming  restless  and   did   not   know 
what  to  do;  they  ran  hither  and   thither   to   the  mines,  and 
became  rude  and  uncultivated.     Said  he:  uLet  me  tell  you, 
boys,  what  to  do.     Marry  the   girls   and   build  homes  for 
yourselves.     Do  not  leave  the  young  ladies  to  take  up  with 
strangers  who  will  marry  them  and  then  desert  them.     If 
you  do  not  marry  them,    I  counsel  the  middle-aged     and 
old  men  to  marry  the  girls  and  treat  them  well,  and  let 
them  have  the  opportunity  to  obey  the  first  command  of 


126  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

God  to  man,  to  multiply  and  replenish  the  earth.  Brethren. 
take  to  yourselves  more  wives;  for  if  you  do  not,  the  time 
will  come  when  you  will  not  be  permitted  to  do  so.  Seek 
wisdom  by  faith  and  prayer;  study  and  read  all  good  books; 
study  the  arts  and  sciences;  build  good  schoolhouses,  and 
educate  your  children,  that  they  may  be  able  to  perform 
the  great  work  that  will  come  upon  them." 

Some  of  the  most  practical  and  best  informed  men  in 
the  community  were  called  to  deliver  free  lectures  on  farm- 
ing, stockraising.  etc.,  for  many  of  the  people  had  come 
from  manufacturing  centers  and  had  no  experience  in  agri- 
cultural life,  consequently  these  people  needed  instruction, 
and  it  was  given  in  every  industrial  pursuit  that  was  prac- 
ticable at  the  time,  and  that  by  experienced  men.  Thus 
the  people  were  incited  in  their  labors  to  subdue  this  wild 
and  then  desert  land — for  it  was  barren  and  waste  in  the 
extreme. 

President  Brigham  Young  also  instructed  the  people 
to  treat  the  Indians  kindly,  and  divide  food  with  them, 
••for,"  said  he,  "it  is  cheaper  to  feed  than  to  fight  them. 
Teach  them  that  we  are  their  friends.  Indeed,  treat  every 
man  civilly  and  kindly;  treat  every  man  as  a  gentleman 
until  you  prove  him  to  be  a  rascal — then  let  him  alone." 

The  foregoing  is  the  tenor  of  the  teaching  and  preach- 
ing to  the  people  in  1848  and  1849,  *n  ^vnat  1S  now  tne 
State  of  Utah. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  127 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

SCARCITY  OF  FOOD  IN  THE  GREAT  SALT  LAKE  VALLEY— WILD  VEGETA- 
BLES FOB  GREENS— FAIB  PROSPECTS  FOB  CROP! — CLOUDS  OF 
CRICKETS  LAY  BARE  THE  FIELDS— PEOPLE  STRUGGLE  AGAINST 
THE  PEST  ALMOST  TO  DESPAIR— VAST  FLOCKS  OF  SLA  GULLS,  AS 
THE  CLOUDS  OF  HEAVEN,  COME  TO  THE  RESCUE— DESTRUCTION 
OF  THE  CRICKET  —  PEOPLE  PRAISE  THE  LORD— THE  WRITER  IN- 
VITED TO  A  MEETING,  ORDAINED  A  SEVENTY,  AND  CALLED  WITH 
OTHERS  TOGO  ON  A  MISSION  TO  THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS— WORDS 
OF  PRESUDENTS  BRIGHAM  YOUNG  AND  HEBEB  C.  KIMBALL— PREP- 
ARATIONS T<>  TRAVEL  TO  CALIFORNIA  WITH  AN  EMIGRANT 
COMPANY— DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  ROUTE  BY  CAPTAIN  JEFFERSON 
HUNT— STARTOH  MY  MISSION— PROPHECY  BY  PRESIDENT  WLLLARD 
RICHARD  —  BATTLE  WITH  INDIAN-  AT  PROVO  AVERTED  BY  APOS- 
TLE C.  <  .  RICH— PROSPECTS  <>F  ITAH  VALLEY  TO  SUPPORT  POPU- 
LATION—OVERTAKE THE  EMIGRANT  COMPANY— DISCUSSIONS  AT 
BEAVEB  RIVER— COMPANY  STARTS  FOB  WALKER'8  PAS8— TURNED 
BACK  BY  S<  LRCITY  <>F  WATER— EXPERIENCE  ON  THE  DESERT— 
DIS8ENSIONS  IN  THE  COMPANY— FUTILE  \ TTEMPT  T< »  SEND  SOME 
OF  THE  MEMBERS  BA(  K— APOSTLE  C.  C.  RH  II  FORESEES  FURTHER 
TROUBLE,  \ND  ENDEAVORS  TO  SAVE  THE  MORMON  PART  OF  THE 
TRAIN  BY  ADVISING  THEM  TO  RETURN  TO  THE  OLD  SPANISH 
TRAIL— METHODIST  AND  I  AMPBELLTTE  MINISTERS  [NCITE  THE 
COMPANY  AGAINST  THILL  MORMON  GUIDE,  CAPTAIN  III  NT-MAIN 
COMPANY  DISREGARDS  CAPTAIN  HUNT'S  WARNING  OF  DANGER, 
AND  LEAVES  THE  OLD  SPANISH  TRAIL  TO  SEARCH  FOR  THE 
ROUTE  THROUGH  WALKER'S  PASI — MORMONS  GO  WITH  CAPTAIN 
HINT  ON  THE  SOUTHERN   ROUTE. 

WHEN  seed  time  came  that  year,  provisions  were 
very  scarce.  People  dug  segos  and  thistle  roots, 
and  gathered  cow  cabbage,  as  we  called  a  plant  that  was 
found  in  the  canyons.  We  ate  these  as  greens,  cooked  the 
hides  of  beef  cattle — in  fact,  gathered  everything  eatable, 
and  worked  hard  and  put  in  our  crops.  .These  started  out 
with  fair  prospects  for  harvest  until  the  grain  was  from  one 
to  six  inches  high.     Then  there  came  down  from  the  moun- 


128  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

tains  myriads  of  black  crickets,  their  bodies  nearly  as  large 
as  a  man's  thumb.  They  entered  upon  wheat  and  corn 
fields,  and  swept  or  ate  every  green  thing  before  them. 
Field  after  field  was  cleared  of  vegetation.  Whole  families 
with  their  chickens  moved  out  to  their  farms  and  made 
war  upon  the  crickets.  Men,  women  and  children  fought 
from  morning  till  night,  and  still  the  enemy  advanced  from 
field  to  field.  Men  almost  despaired,  women  wept,  and  to 
all  human  appearance  our  cause  was  lost.  The  crickets 
ate  the  crops  so  close  into  the  ground  that  they  could  not 
start  again.  The  people  held  fast  meetings  and  prayed  for 
protection.  I  am  not  positive  that  there  were  any  special 
meetings  for  that  purpose,  but  it  was  customary  to  fast  and 
pray  the  first  Thursday  in  each  month. 

Almost  everybody  was  in  despair,  and  the  enemy  did 
not  seem  to  be  diminished  in  numbers.  With  their  war 
cry,  or  ce-ce,  the  crickets  advanced,  and,  seeming  to  call 
up  their  reserve  forces,  with  a  bold  front  kept  up  their 
march.  Then  there  came  from  the  west  and  northwest 
what  seemed  to  me  might  be  justly  called  the  clouds  of 
heaven,  or  perhaps  more  properly  the  clouds  of  salvation. 
These  were  white  sea  gulls,  which  flew  so  close  together  and 
were  so  numerous  as  to  form  a  cloud  wherever  they  went. 
They  covered  almost  the  whole  farming  district  north  and 
southeast  of  the  city — the  main  farming  district  in  Salt  Lake 
Valley  at  that  time;  they  visited  Davis  County  and  other 
places  as  well;  and  when  they  lit  down  the  fields  looked  as 
though  covered  with  snow.  The  gulls  came  at  sunrise 
and  returned  to  the  west  at  sundown,  after  having  gorged 
and  disgorged  themselves  the  entire  day,  being  tame  as 
chickens.  They  kept  up  the  work  of  deliverance  day 
after  day,  as  the  crickets  continued  to  come  down  from  the 
mountains.  I  believe  that  was  the  first  time  this  kind  of 
birds  had  been  seen  by  any  of  the  settlers.  When  they 
had    completed     their    work    of    mercy  they  went  away, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  I  29 

leaving  a  grateful  people  who  returned  thanks  to  the  Giver 
of  every  good  gift.  The  Saints  in  the  valley  then  were 
united  and  their  meetings  were  well  attended. 

One  Sunday.  Brother  Jedediah  M.  Grant  came  down 
from  the  stand,  took  the  writer  by  the  arm,  and  asked  him 
to  take  a  walk.  The  request  was  granted  readily,  and  1 
was  led  to  Brother  Lorenzo  Young's  house  on  City  Creek, 
where  we  found  the  First  Presidency,  some  members  of 
the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  some  of  the  first  council  of  the 
Seventies.  There  the  writer  was  ordained  to  the  Priest- 
hood of  a  Seventy,  and  his  name  was  enrolled  in  the  third 
quorum.  Shortly  after  that  he  was  invited  with  others  to 
attend  a  council  meeting  of  the  First  Presidency  and 
Twelve  Apostles,  in  President  Kimball's  schoolhouse. 
When  we  got  in  and  were  seated,  President  Young  said, 
♦'Brethren,  if  any  of  you  have  anything  to  say,  say  on." 
There  being  no  response,  the  president  rose  to  his  feet  and 
said,  "I  move  that  Elders  Addison  Pratt,  Hyrum  Black- 
well  and  James  S.  Brown  take  a  mission  to  the  Society 
Islands,  in  the  South  Pacific  Ocean."  President  H.  C. 
Kimball  said,  "I  second  the  motion."  The  question  was 
put  and  unanimously  sustained,  and  the  president  turned  to 
me  and  asked,  '-Brother  James,  will  you  go?"  The  answer 
was,  '-I  am  an  illiterate  youth,  cannot  read  or  write,  and  I 
do  not  know  what  good  I  can  do;  but  if  it  is  the  will  of  the 
Lord  that  I  should  go,  and  you  say  so,  I  will  do  the  best 
that  I  can."  The  president  then  took  a  seat  near  me,  plac- 
ing his  right  hand  on  my  left  knee,  and  said,  "It  is  the 
will  of  the  Lord  that  you  go,  and  I  say  go;  I  am  not  afraid 
to  risk  you.  And  I  promise  you  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel  that  if  you  go  you  will  be  blessed,  and  do  good, 
and  be  an  honor  to  yourself  and  to  the  Church  and  kingdom 
of  God.  Although  men  will  seek  your  life,  you  shall  be 
spared  and  return  to  the  bosom  of  the  Church  in  safety." 

This   council   was    on    Sunday   evening,  some  time  in 


130  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

September,  1849,  an(^  we  were  to  start  no  later  than  the 
10th  of  October;  indeed,  we  were  instructed  to  get  ready 
as  soon  as  possible,  so  that  we  could  join  a  company  of 
emigrants  which  was  organizing  to  go  through  to  California 
by  the  southern  route,  as  it  was  too  late  to  goby  the  north- 
ern route. 

As  Elder  Addison  Pratt  and  I  had  agreed  to  go  sow- 
ing wheat  together  on  Monday  morning.  I  thought  I  could 
speak  to  him  without  any  notice  being  taken  of  it.  I  said 
to  him.  in  a  low  tone  of  voice,  that  I  guessed  we  would  rot 
sow  much  wheat  next  day.  President  H.  C.  Kimball 
jumped  from  his  seat  as  quick  as  a  flash,  and  pointing  his 
ringer  directly  at  me,  said,  "What  is  that,  Brother  Jimmie?" 
When  I  told  him  what  I  had  said,  he  continued,  "Jimmie.  it 
is  not  for  you  to  sow  wheat  or  to  reap  it.  but  your  calling 
is  to  sow  the  good  seed  of  the  Gospel,  and  gather  Israel 
from  this  time  henceforth.  Mind  that,  now;  let  others  sow 
the  wheat/'  From  that  time  I  felt  a  weight  of  responsibil- 
ity that  1  had  never  thought  of  before. 

We  then  went  to  preparing  for  our  journey.  Apostle 
C.  C.  Rich  had  been  called  to  go  through  to  California,  so 
he  and  Brother  Pratt  and  I  fitted  up  a  team,  I  having  a 
good  wagon  and  one  yoke  of  oxen;  they  each  furnished  a 
yoke  of  oxen.  In  a  few  days  we  were  ready  for  the  start. 
We  had  a  rodometer  attached  to  our  wagon,  to  measure 
the  distance. 

In  the  meantime,  the  emigrants  called  a  meeting  before 
taking  their  departure.  |  They  had  employed  Captain 
Jefferson  Hunt  of  company  A,  Mormon  Battalion  fame,  to 
be  their  guide,  as  he  had  come  through  that  route  with 
pack  animals.  He  was  invited  to  tell  them  what  they 
might  expect.  He  described  the  route  to  them  with  the 
roughest  side  out,  lest  they  might  say  that  he  had  misled 
them  by  making  things  more  favorable  than  they  reall^^ 
were.     In  concluding   his   remarks  he  said:     "From   Salt 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF     JAMES    S.    BROWN.  131 

Springs,  we  cross  to  a  sandy  desert,  distance  seventy-five 
miles  to  Bitter  Springs,  the  water  so  bitter  the  devil  would 
not  drink  it;  and  from  thence  away  hellwards.  to  California  or 
some  other  place.  Now,  gentlemen,  if  you  will  stick  together 
and  follow  me.  I  will  lead  you  through  to  California  all  right; 
but  you  will  have  to  make  your  own  road,  for  there  is  none 
save  the  old  Spanish  trail  from  Santa  Fe  to  California,  by 
the  Cajon  Pass  through  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains." 

The  emigrant  company  consisted  of  about  five  hun- 
dred souls,  and  one  hundred  wagons  and  teams,  the  latter 
in  poor  condition.  Feeling  in  high  spirits,  the  company 
moved  out  between  the  ist  and  8th  of  October.  C.  C.  Rich, 
Francis  Pomeroy  and  I  remained  to  follow  up  on  horse- 
back, in  three  or  four  days.  Pratt  and  Blackwell.  taking 
our  team,  started  with  the  main  body.  They  got  to  the 
Cottonwoods.  when  one  of  my  oxen  became  so  lame  that 
they  could  not  proceed  any  farther.  Blackwell  returned  to 
inform  me  of  the  situation,  and  I  went  down  and  traded 
with  John  Brown,  late  Bishop  of  Pleasant  Grove,  for  another 
ox.  mine  having  been  pricked  in  shoeing.  Then  they 
overtook  the  main  company,  and  all  proceeded  together. 

On  the  8th  we  followed.  I  started  out  alone,  to  meet 
with  the  others  at  Cottonwood.  As  I  passed  the  home  of 
Dr.  Willard  Richards,  counselor  to  President  Brigham 
Young,  Dr.  Richards  came  out  and  met  me;  he  took  me  by 
the  right  knee  with  his  right  hand,  as  I  sat  on  my  horse, 
and  said,  "Starting  out  on  your  mission,  I  suppose?"  I 
replied,  --Yes,  sir."  "Well,  Brother  James,  I  am  glad,  and 
sorry;  glad  to  have  you  go  and  preach  the  Gospel,  and 
sorry  to  part  with  good  young  men  that  we  need  in  open- 
ing up  a  new  country."  At  that  he  gave  my  knee  an 
extra  grip.  Stretching  his  left  hand  out  to  the  southwest, 
his  chin  quivering  and  his  eyes  filling  with  tears,  he  said, 
••Brother  James,  when  you  are  upon  yonder  distant  islands, 
called  to  preside  over  a  branch    of   the    Church    of   Jesus 


132  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  men  will  seek  your  life,  and  to 
all  human  appearance,  there  will  be  no  possible  escape: 
then  look  unto  God,  and  His  angels  shall  draw  near  unto 
you,  and  you  shall  be  delivered,  to  return  home  to  this 
people.  Do  not  stop  to  write  to  Brother  Pratt,  your 
president,  to  Brother  Brigham,  or  to  me,  for  you  will 
require  the  immediate  protection  of  God.  Then  put  your 
trust  in  Him,  and  He  will  deliver  you;  for  I  promise  you 
in  the  name  of  Israel's  God  that  you  shall  be  delivered 
from  your  enemy  and  return  to  this  people.  Goodbye,  and 
God  bless  you."  Need  I  tell  the  reader  that  my  mind  was 
greatly  impressed  by  those  prophetic  words,  their  inspired 
character  being  established  so  vividly  in  my  later  exper- 
ience? Prophetic  I  knew  them  to  be,  and  impressive  they 
were  indeed;  and  the  impression  has  been  deep  and 
lasting. 

I  then  went  on  to  Brother  Jacob  M.  Truman's,  on  Big 
Cottonwood  Creek,  and  stayed  with  him  that  night.  Next 
morning  I  passed  on  to  Brother  William  Bills',  where  I  met 
with  Brothers  C.  C.  Rich  and  F.  Pomeroy,  and  we  pro- 
ceeded on  to  Provo  by  the  Indian  trail,  having  been  joined 
by  Alexander  Williams,  with  whom  we  stayed. 

At  Provo  we  learned  that  the  citizens  and  Indians  had 
had  some  trouble,  and  there  was  considerable  excitement, 
as  there  were  but  few  settlers  at  that  place  and  the  Indians 
were  quite  numerous.  The  latter  were  singing  war  songs 
and  working  up  a  spirit  of  war  preliminary  to  making  an 
attack  that  night  or  next  morning,  as  was  supposed.  The 
people  were  preparing  to  receive  them  as  best  they  could. 
Guards  were  posted  around  the  camp,  and  men  put  on 
picket  duty,  so  that  any  enemy  might  be  discovered  readilv. 

The  Indians  made  no  move  until  after  daylight;   but 

just  before  sunrise  they  started  from   their  camps  in  force, 

to  attack  us.     We  advanced  to  meet  them,  so  as  to  prevent 

heir  assailing  us  in  the  small  fort,   where  the   women  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 33 

children  were.  The  savages  marched  up  as  if  to  give  us 
open  battle.  We  formed  across  the  road,  and  each  man 
took  his  post  ready  for  action.  I  always  have  believed  that 
if  it  had  not  been  for  the  presence  of  Apostle  C.  C.  Rich, 
and  his  cool,  conciliatory  action,  there  would  have  been 
bloodshed,  for  there  were  some  very  hot-headed  white  men, 
who  would  have  preferred  war  to  peace.  Through  Brother 
Rich's  influence,  the  cause  of  the  trouble  was  looked  into,  a 
conciliation  effected,  and  war  averted,  so  that  after  break- 
fast we  of  the  missionary  party  proceeded  on  to  what  was 
called  Hobble  Creek — now  the  city  of  Springville,  with  a 
population  of  over  two  thousand  souls.  I  remember  that 
we  thought  the  place  would  be  capable  of  sustaining  eight 
or  ten  families,  or  a  dairy,  believing  there  was  not  enough 
water  for  more. 

From  Hobble  Creek  we  passed  on  from  one  small 
stream  to  another,  expressing  our  opinion  as  to  the  capacity 
of  the  water  supply;  and  in  no  instance  did  we  suppose 
that  there  was  water  sufficient  for  more  than  fifteen  fam- 
ilies, judging  from  what  we  could  see  then.  Again,  the 
barrenness  of  the  country  was  such  that  it  did  not  seem 
that  more  than  seventy-five  or  a  hundred  head  of  cattle 
could  find  feed  within  reach  of  water.  Now7  thousands  of 
head  of  horned  stock  and  horses  are  sustained  at  the  same 
places. 

We  kept  on  our  wray  until  we  overtook  the  wagon 
train  on  Sevier  River.  We  came  up  with  the  emigrants 
just  as  they  were  ready  to  move  on,  but  did  not  find  them 
so  full  of  glee  as  they  were  on  the  start  from  the  city.  Still, 
we  rolled  on  very  peaceably  until  we  came  to  Beaver  River, 
where  the  country  began  to  look  more  forbidding.  Then 
the  ardor  of  the  emigrants  began  to  weaken. 

At  this  place  the  company  was  joined  by  a  man  named 
Smith  with  a  pack  train  of  about  seventeen  men;  also  James 
Flake,  with  thirty   Latter-day  Saints;   besides,   there   were 


134  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

William  Farrer,  John  Dixon.  H.  W.  Bigler,  George  Q 
Cannon,  and  others,  whose  names  I  do  not  now  recall. 
Smith  felt  confident  that  he  could  find  Walker's  Pass,  in 
the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  This  supposed  pass  had 
been  spoken  of  often,  but  men  had  been  disappointed  as 
often  in  rinding  it.  or  rather  in  not  finding  it.  Smith's  story 
excited  our  whole  camp  so  that  there  was  a  general  desire 
to  try  the  new  route,  and  go  down  through  the  canyon  and 
out  on  to  the  sandy  desert.  The  whole  company  except 
a  very  few  favored  the  idea  of  leaving  the  route  they  had 
hired  a  guide  for,  and  they  urged  Captain  Hunt  to  strike 
out  and  look  for  water.  He  said,  -'Gentlemen,  I  agreed  to 
pilot  you  through  to  California  on  the  Old  Spanish  Route 
bv  the  Cajon  Pass.  I  am  ready  to  do  so,  and  am  not 
under  any  obligations  to  lead  you  in  any  other  way;  and  if 
you  insist  on  my  doing  so  you  must  be  responsible,  for  I 
will  not  be  responsible  for  anything.  On  this  condition,  if 
vou  insist  on  changing  your  route,  I  will  do  the  best  I  can 
to  find  water,  but  I  do  not  have  any  reason  to  hope  for  suc- 
cess when  I  leave  the   trail." 

The  company  hurrahed  for  the  Walker  Pass,  and 
Captain  Hunt  struck  out  a  day  ahead  while  the  company 
shod  and  doctored  their  lame  and  sick  stock  for  one  day. 
Then  we  moved  out  ten  miles  on  to  the  plain  southwest  of 
where  Minersville,  Utah,  now  stands,  and  camped. 

Sometime  in  the  night  Captain  Hunt  came  into  camp, 
so  near  choked  from  the  lack  of  water  that  his  tongue  was 
swollen  till  it  protruded  from  his  mouth;  his  eyes  were  so 
sunken  in  his  head  that  he  could  scarcely  be  recognized. 
His  horse,  too,  for  the  need  of  water,  was  blind,  and  stag- 
gered as  he  was  urged  on.  Their  stay  had  been  thirty-six 
hours,  on  the  sands,  without  water.  About  2  o'clock 
next  morning  our  stock  stampeded  from  the  guards  and 
ran  back  to  water.     Two-thirds  of  the  men  went  in  pursuit, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 35 

and  animals  and  men  did  not  return  to  camp  till  2  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon. 

By  this  time  confusion  and  discontent  abounded  in 
camp.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  inquire  into  the 
condition  of  every  team,  and  to  ascertain  the  food  supply, 
with  the  avowed  intention  of  sending  all  back  who  failed 
to  have  what  were  considered  the  requisites  for  the  journey. 
I  think  that  one-t.hird  of  the  company,  our  wagon  included, 
were  found  wanting  when  weighed  in  that  committee's 
balances.  But  when  we  were  ordered  to  return,  those  who 
gave  the  command  found  that  they  were  without  authority 
and  no  one  would  heed  them.  So  the  discontent  was 
patched  up  for  a  time,  and  we  proceeded  on  to  Little  Salt 
Lake  Valley,  where  we  struck  the  old  Spanish  trail  again. 
Then  the  company  began  to  split  up,  some  going  on  after 
night,  and  others  stopping. 

Brother  C.  C.  Rich  told  me  that  it  had  been  shown  to 
him  that  there  was  going  to  be  trouble,  and  he  felt  led  to 
believe  that  if  we  would  go  with  the  pack  train  he  could 
at  least  lead  the  brethren  there  back  on  to  the  trail  and 
save  them.  This  was  in  the  night,  as  we  slept  together  in 
the  wagon.  He  awoke  and  asked  me  if  I  were  awake. 
Finding  that  I  was,  he  told  me  what  would  befall  the  com- 
pany. To  save  the  brethren  and  all  who  would  heed  him, 
he  purchased  some  ponies  and  went  with   the  packers. 

As  we  passed  along  the  Spanish  trail — said  to  be  three 
hundred  and  fifty  years  old — on  the  great  desert,  we  could 
follow  the  route  by  the  bones  of  dead  animals  in  many 
places.  It  is  said  that  many  fierce  battles  have  been  fought 
between  Mexicans  and  Indians  along  this  trail.  So  far  as 
we  were  concerned,  although  it  was  known  that  the  Indians 
were  very  hostile,  they  gave  us  no  trouble. 

(When  we  reached  what  is  called  the  Rim  of  the  Basin, 
where  the  waters  divide,  part  running  into  the  Colorado 
River  and  on  to  the   Pacific   Ocean,  and  part   into  the  Salt 


I36  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER 

Lake  Valley,  the  company  called  meetings,  and  several 
made  speeches,  saying  there  must  be  a  nearer  and  better 
route  than  that  on  which  the  Mormon  guide  was  leading 
them.  One  Methodist  and  one  Campbellite  preacher  in  the 
company  said  that  they  had  started  to  California,  and  not 
hellwards,  as  the  Mormon  guide  had  stated  at  the  outset, 
quoting  what  Captain  Hunt  had  said  just  before  starting. 
Others  claimed  that  they  had  been  on  the  mountains,  and 
upon  looking  west  had  seen  something  green,  which  they 
asserted  was  an  indication  of  water.  Some  of  them  cele- 
brated the  proposed  separation  from  us  by  boring  holes  in 
trees  then  filling  these  with  powder  and  firing  them,  ex- 
ploded the  trees  in  symbol  of  the  break-up  of  the  company. 
Next  morning  all  but  seven  wagons  turned  off  to  the 
right,  toward  the  supposed  Walker's  Pass.  We  preferred 
to  follow  the  guide.  The  company  was  thoroughly  warned 
by  Captain  Hunt  of  the  danger  of  dying  from  lack  of 
water.  In  our  party  there  were  eleven  men,  two  women 
and  three  children.  The  main  company  expressed  pity  for 
us  and  tried  to  persuade  us  to  go  with  them,  but  we  felt 
confident  that  our  course  was  the  safest,  notwithstanding 
their  superior  numbers.  They  seemed  to  rejoice  at  their 
conclusion,  while  we  regretted  it  for  their  sakes.  Thus  we 
separated,  the  emigrant  company  heading  for  Walker's 
Pass,  and  our  small  party  continuing  on  the  old  Spanish 
trail,  or  southern  route  to  California. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 37 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

CAUGHT  IN  A  SNOWSTORM— VIA  THE  SANTA  CLARA  AND  RIO  YLRGEN  TO 
THE  MUDDY— NEWS  OF  SAD  DISASTER  TO  THE  EMIGRANT  COM- 
PANY—MAKING  CHARCOAL  AND  NAILS— AN  APOSTLE  AS  A  BLACK- 
SMITH—SEARCHING FOB  WATER  ON  THE  DESERT— CROSSING  AN 
ALKALI  STREAM— DISCOVER  GOLD  NEAR  SALT  SPRINGS— HURRY- 
ING ON  OYER  THE  DESERT  —  CATTLE  POISONKD  AT  RITTER 
SPRING  —  KILLING  ANIMALS  TO  RELIEVE  THEIR  SUFFERINGS- 
FIRST  WAGON  OYER  CAJOH  PASS,  GOING  WEST— SEVERE  JOURNEY 
TO  THE  SUMMIT  OF  THE  PASS— ALL  GET  OVEB  SAFELY— SENSE  OF 
GREAT  RELIEF-GRASS  AND  WATEB  IN  ABUNDANCE— OVE  STAKES 
BY  8URVTVOBS  OF  THE  EMIGRANT  COMPANY— THEEB  STORY  OF 
TERRIBLE  SUFFERING— DIVIDE  PROVISIONS  WITH  THEM— CELE- 
BRATING CHRISTMAS,  1849— CONTINUING  THE  JOURNET  NORTH— 
SPANISH  WARNING  I\  \  I  EMETERY  TO  I M  >I  AX>-<  !RUELTY  OF 
Jill.  8PANIARD8  TO  THE  INDIANS— THE  WRITER  PLACED  IN 
CHARGE  OF  THE  COMPANY— DIRECTED  TO  Go  TO  THE  GOLD 
MINES. 

WHEN  the  company  had  separated  the  weather  was 
\rery  threatening,  and  it  soon  began  to  snow  Yery 
fast.  We  pulled  on  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  camped 
on  the  mountain.  Next  day  we  came  to  some  Indian  farms 
where  the  saYages  had  raised  corn,  wheat  and  squash.  We 
passed  on  to  the  Santa  Clara,  followed  it  down  for  three  or 
four  days,  and  found  a  written  notice  to  those  who  came 
that  way:  "Look  out.  for  we  have  killed  two  Indians 
here."  With  this  warning,  we  felt  that  we  must  keep  a 
vigilant  guard  all  the  time.  From  the  Santa  Clara  we  had 
a  Yery  long  drive  across  the  mountain  and  down  a  long,  dry, 
rocky  slope  until  we  came  to  the  Rio  Virgen.  We  went 
along  that  stream  three  or  four  days;  where  we  left  it  we 
found  a  cow  with  an  Indian  arrow  sticking  in  her.  We 
next  passed  over  a  high  plateau  to  a  stream  well  named  the 
Muddy.  There  we  laid  by  and  doctored  and  shod  our 
lame  cattle. 


I38  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

While  we  were  on  the  Muddy,  Brother  C.  C.  Rich 
and  party  came  down  the  stream  to  us,  bringing  sad  and 
heartrending  news  from  the  great  emigrant  company,  which 
had  broken  into  factions  and  become  perfectly  demoralized 
and  confused.  Some  had  taken  packs  on  their  backs  and 
started  on  foot,  their  cattle  dying,  their  wagons  abandoned. 
All  were  despondent,  and  unwilling  to  listen  to  anybody.  I 
think,  from  the  best  information  we  ever  got  of  them,  I 
would  be  safe  in  saying  that  four-fifths  of  them  met  a  most 
horrible  fate,  being  starved  or  choked  to  death  in  or  near 
what  was  afterwards  called  Death  Valley.  In  after  years 
the  miners  of  Pahranagat  found  the  irons  of  the  wagons 
very  handy  for  use  in  their  pursuits. 

On  the  Muddy  we  burned  charcoal  and  made  nails  to 
shoe  our  cattle,  having  to  throw  the  animals  down  and  hold 
them  while  Apostle  C.  C.  Rich  shod  them.  Brother  Rich 
did  his  work  well,  for  the  shoes  never  came  loose  till  they 
wore  off. 

From  the  Muddy  I  accompanied  Captain  Hunt  and 
Henry  Rollins  twelve  miles  and  found  some  small  pools  of 
water  about  two  miles  to  the  right  of  the  trail;  I  went  back 
to  turn  the  packers  to  it,  while  Captain  Hunt  and  Henry 
Rollins  went  ahead  in  search  of  more  pools  of  water  and 
found  some.  George  Q.  Cannon  and  I  stayed  there  as 
guides  for  the  wagon  train,  and  turned  them  off  to  the 
water.  When  the  train  arrived,  about  11  o'clock  p.  m.,  we 
had  to  dip  water  with  cups  and  water  the  stock  from  buck- 
ets. Then  we  pressed  on  till  daylight,  made  a  halt  long 
enough  to  take  breakfast,  and  pushed  on,  for  there  was  no 
feed  for  our  stock. 

About  2  p.  m.  we  came  to  the  Los  Vegas,  where  we 
rested  a  day,  then  continued  our  journey  over  mountains 
and  across  dry  deserts  from  day  to  day  until  we  reached  a 
stream  of  water  about  three  rods  wide.  It  was  so  strong 
with  alkali  that  we  dared  not  allow  our  cattle  to  drink  of  it, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 39 

but  put  the  lash  to  them  so  that  they  could  not  get  a  sup 
as  we  crossed  it  twice.  Thence  we  traveled  across  a  very 
sandy  desert  for  twelve  miles  to  the  Salt  Springs,  where  the 
train  went  around  a  point  of  the  mountain.  x\.  Pratt  and 
I.  with  three  or  four  others,  followed  on  a  small  trail  that 
passed  over  a  notch  of  the  mountain.  While  going  through 
a  narrow  pass.  Brother  A.  Pratt  said  it  looked  as  if  there 
might  be  gold  there.  At  that  we  went  to  looking  in  the 
crevices  of  the  rock,  and  in  a  few  minutes  one  of  the  party 
found  a  small  scale,  and  then  another.  Among  the  rest,  I 
saw  the  precious  metal  projecting  from  a  streak  of  quartz 
in  the  granite  rock.  From  there  we  went  over  about  one 
and  a  half  miles  to  the  Salt  Springs,  and  met  with  the 
teams.  Several  of  the  party  journeyed  back  to  look 
further  for  the  gold.  I  took  along  a  cold  chisel  and  ham- 
mer, and  chipped  out  some  at  the  place  I  had  found,  but  as 
our  teams  were  weakening  very  fast  and  there  was  neither 
food  nor  water  at  that  place  to  sustain  our  stock,  we  had 
to  push  on  across  the  sandy  desert  of  seventy-five  miles, 
day  and  night,  until  we  came  to  the  Bitter  Springs. 

These  were  the  springs  that  Captain  Hunt  had  told 
the  emigrant  company  about  before  they  left  Salt  Lake 
City,  that  from  thence  it  was  "away  he  11  ward  to  California 
or  some  other  place."  It  certainly  began  to  look  that  way 
now,  when  our  cattle  began  to  weaken  and  die  all  along 
the  trail.  The  springs  would  have  been  as  properly  named 
if  they  had  been  called  Poison  Springs,  instead  of  Bitter, 
for  it  seemed  that  from  that  place  our  cattle  began  to 
weaken  every  moment,  and  many  had  to  be  turned  loose 
from  the  yoke  and  then  shot  to  get  them  out  of  their 
misery. 

We  had  to  shoot  one  of  Brother  Pratt's  oxen  to  end 
its  suffering.  This  act  fell  to  my  lot.  Oh,  how  inhuman 
and  cruel  it  seemed  to  me,  to  drive  the  patient  and  faithful 
dumb  animal   into  a  barren   desert,  where   there   is  neither 


I4O  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

food  nor  drink,  to  goad  him  on  until  he  falls  from  sheer 
exhaustion,  so  that  he  bears  any  punishment,  to  make  him 
rise,  that  his  master  sees  fit  to  inflict,  without  giving  a  sin- 
gle moan,  then  to  walk  around  and  calmly  look  him  in  the 
face  and  fire  the  deadly  missile  into  his  brain,  then  leave  his 
carcass  to  the  loathsome  wolves  and  birds  of  prey! 

In  looking  back  over  a  period  of  fifty  years  since 
then,  the  writer  cannot  call  to  memory  a  single  act  in 
his  life  that  seemed  so  cruel  and  ungrateful  as  that;  and 
still  there  was  no  earthly  means  to  save  the  poor  creature 
from  a  more  horrible  death,  which  would  have  come  if  he 
had  been  left  in  that  driving  snowstorm,  when  his  whole 
frame  shook  with  cold,  there  to  lie  and  starve — one  of  the 
most  miserable  deaths  that  the  human  mind  can  conceive 
of.  Of  the  two  evils  we  chose  the  least  by  ending  the 
suffering  in  a  moment,  when  it  would  have  taken  hours  if 
it  had  not  been  for  this  act  of  mercy,  as  we  call  it  after 
taking  in  the  whole  situation. 

From  Bitter  Springs  our  team  took  the  lead  to  the  end 
of  the  journey,  or  to  Williams'  Ranch,  being  the  first  team 
that  ever  crossed  over  the  Cajon  Pass  going  west,  as  I  re- 
member. Ascending  to  the  first  pass  from  the  Bitter 
Springs  our  situation  was  most  gloomy.  In  mud  and 
snow,  with  darkness  come  on,  every  rod  of  the  road 
became  more  steep  and  difficult.  The  summit  was  two 
miles  ahead  and  the  nearest  team  half  a  mile  back.  We 
moved  by  hitches  and  starts,  and  could  only  make  three  or 
four  rods  at  a  time.  Two  of  us  pushed  at  the  wagon  while 
the  other  drove.  Our  guide  was  a  few  feet  ahead,  mark- 
ing out  the  road,  and  saying,  ''Crowd  up,  boys,  if  possible. 
Let  us  wallow  on  over  the  summit,  for  it  is  our  only  salva- 
tion to  cross  and  try  to  open  the  road  if  possible  for  the 
weaker  teams." 

Finally,  with  a  shout  of  triumph,  we  reached  the  sum- 
mit in  two  feet  of  snow,  at  11  o'clock  at  night.     Our  guide 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  I4I 

told  us  to  go  on  down  and  build  fires  at  the  first  place  where 
we  could  find  anything  for  our  stock,  and  he  would  go 
back  and  cheer  the  rest  on  as  best  he  could. 

The  descent  being  quite  steep,  we  soon  made  the  dis- 
tance of  three  or  four  miles  to  where  there  was  but  about 
six  inches  of  snow,  and  where  we  found  some  feed.  Our 
matches  were  all  damp,  and  we  were  wet  as  could  be.  We 
split  up  our  spare  yoke  and  struck  fire  with  flint  and  steel, 
crawled  into  the  wagon,  and  started  a  fire  in  the  frying-pan. 
Then,  as  there  was  plenty  of  fuel,  we  made  a  roaring  fire 
outside,  took  a  bite  to  eat,  and  turned  in  for  a  few  moments' 
rest,  being  satisfied  that  the  others  of  the  party  had  halted 
before  they  reached  the  summit,  and  as  the  guide  was  with 
them  we  thought  they  would  take  a  rest  and  come  on  at 
daybreak. 

This  conjecture  proved  right,  for  about  4  o'clock  a.  m. 
Captain  Hunt  hallooed  to  us  and  called  for  a  cup  of  coffee. 
He  seemed  to  be  chilled  to  the  bone,  so  we  soon  stirred 
the  fire  and  got  him  something  to  eat.  He  told  us  all  the 
teams  would  make  the  riffle,  but  for  us  to  have  a  good  fire, 
for  some  of  the  men  would  be  chilled  nearly  to  death. 
Then  he  directed  us  to  go  ahead  until  we  found  feed  for 
the  stock,  and  he  would  remain  until  the  company  came 
up.  We  advanced  about  ten  miles,  and  halted  for  our  cat- 
tle to  feed  and  rest.  In  the  meantime  we  discovered  the 
company  coming  down  the  slope  of  the  mountain.  Our 
feelings,  as  well  as  theirs,  were  much  relieved  at  the  sight, 
as  we  beheld  each  other,  and  when  they  had  rested  their 
teams  they  came  on  to  our  camping  place  for  another  stop, 
while  we  moved  ahead  to  the  Mohave  River.  When  we 
reached  that  stream,  I  presume  that  we  felt  as  pleased  as  a 
man  liberated  from  a  life  sentence  in  a  dungeon,  for  we 
had  reason  to  feel  assured  that  we  would  succeed  in  our 
journey,  as  we  had  only  one  more  hard  scramble  of  thirty 
miles,   and  had  pleasant   weather  and   plenty   of  feed   and 


IJ.2  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


water  for  our  stock,  with  time  to  rest  in.  Some  shouted  : 
''Daylight  once  more;  thank  God  for  our  deliverance!" 

It  was  while  we  lay  here  that  some  of  the  company 
which  had  parted  with  us  at  the  Rim  of  the  Basin  came 
up  to  us  with  packs  on  their  backs,  half-starved.  The 
story  of  the  condition  of  their  comrades  was  horrifying 
beyond  description.  Men,  women  and  children  suffered 
death  alike  by  thirst  and  starvation.  This  painful  episode 
affords  one  more  instance  of  where  the  majority  had  been 
wrong  and  the  minority  right.  The  new  arrivals  said  that 
when  we  parted  from  them  they  were  sorry  for  us.  But 
now  we  were  more  sorry  for  them  than  they  had  been 
for  us. 

We  divided  our  food  the  second  or  third  time  to  re- 
lieve these  starving  people,  then  pursued  our  course  up 
stream  for  nine  or  ten  days.  There  we  rested  our  cattle, 
did  some  hunting,  and  replenished  our  food  supply  with 
wild  meat,  principally  venison,  quail  and  the  gray  squirrel. 
We  found  plenty  of  wild  grapes,  and  also  discovered  that 
the  raccoon  lived  in  that  part  of  the   world. 

It  was  about  the  17th  of  December  when  we  crossed 
the  Cajon  Pass,  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains;  from 
thence  we  moved  via  the  Cocomonga  Ranch  to  Williams' 
Ranch,  arriving  there  on  December  24th.  At  Williams' 
we  found  C.  C.  Rich  and  party;  we  joined  in  with  them 
and  had  a  good  Christmas  dinner.  There  we  traded  for 
new  supplies  to  last  us  up  to  the  gold  mines  on  the  Mari- 
posa and  the  Stanislaus  rivers,  in  northern  California,  or 
the  upper  country.  The  writer  acted  as  pilot,  interpreter 
and  quartermaster  for  the  company  of  something  like  fifty 
men. 

It  was  about  the  27th  of  January  when  we  left  the 
ranch,  from  which  we  traveled  to  Los  Angeles,  thence 
twenty  miles  to  the  north,  where  C.  C.  Rich  and  ten  or  fif- 
teen men  left  us,  and  H.  Egan  took  charge  of  the  company 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  I43 

as  captain.  We  followed  up  the  Santa  Barbara  road  at 
the  rate  of  fifteen  miles  per  day.  The  roads  were  very 
rough  and  hilly.  The  whole  country  was  still  in  a  very 
wild  state.  We  were  frequently  warned  to  be  on  our  guard 
for  bandits,  which  were  said  to  be  roaming  in  the  locality. 
We  passed  in  peace,  however,  nothing  out  of  the  general 
routine  happening  until  we  arrived  at  the  San  Antonio 
Mission.  The  alcalde  invited  me  into  the  chapel.  To  me. 
at  that  time,  it  seemed  to  be  very  grand,  so  attractive  was 
the  decoration.  The  alcalde  then  opened  the  gates  of  the 
cemetery,  in  which  I  saw  a  pillar  of  burnt  adobes  with  four 
Indian  skulls  on  it.  for  the  rest  of  the  Indians  to  see  what 
they  might  expect  if  they  committed  any  outrages  on  the 
citizens. 

From  all  that  I  have  learned  about  Spain's  treatment 
of  the  red  men,  it  has  been  very  cruel,  yet  the  Spaniards 
claimed  their  methods  were  necessary  in  order  to  Christian- 
ize the  aborigines.  At  that  time  the  Indians  in  California 
were  more  cruelly  treated  than  the  slaves  in  the  south; 
many  of  them  had  scars  on  their  backs  ten  or  twelve  inches 
long,  caused  by  the  lash  of  the   Spaniards. 

We  continued  our  journey  up  towards  San  Francisco 
until  the  nth  of  February,  when  we  arrived  at  a  town 
called  the  Mission  San  Juan.  There  we  received  a  letter 
from  Apostle  C.  C.  Rich;  it  was  dated  February  8,  1850. 
The  mission  was  old  and  dilapidated,  and  at  that  date  was 
occupied  by  a  very  rough  class  of  men.  The  surrounding 
country  was  very  beautiful  and  fertile. 

About  7  o'clock  that  same  evening  Captain  Howard 
Egan  assembled  the  company  together,  and  called  on  the 
writer  to  take  charge.  Then  he  went  forward  to  overhaul 
the  company  that  had  preceded  us.  Next  morning  we 
continued  on  our  journey,  crossing  a  deep  stream  of  water, 
and  going  to  near  Fisher's  Ranch,  where  we  received  a 
few  lines  from  Captain   Egan,  ordering  us   to  stop   the  ox 


144  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

teams  and  forward  the  mule  teams  to  San  Jose  to  get  pro- 
visions. We  obeyed,  and  purchased  a  beef  animal  and 
dried  the  meat. 

When  Captain  Egan  returned  to  camp  he  told  me  that 
Apostle  C.  C.  Rich  thought  I  had  better  continue  with  the 
company  on  to  the  mines,  until  I  saw  or  heard  from  him 
again.      Accordingly  I  did  so. 

Retracing  our  steps  about  four  miles,  we  turned  to  the 
left  on  a  trail  that  led  us  to  Gilroy's  Ranch,  thence  to 
Rancho  Pacheco.  There  we  met  a  Frenchman  who  di- 
rected us  across  the  mountains.  Meantime  our  company 
appointed  six  of  us  to  precede  the  wagons  and  mark  out 
the  road,  as  we  were  again  entering  into  a  wilderness  with 
no  roads  except  Indian  and  wild  animals'  trails. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

JOURNEYING  TOWARD  THE  GOLD  DIGGINGS— THREATENED  BY  WILD 
HORSES— DIFFICULTIES  OF  TRAVELING— CONVOCATION  OF  THE 
FEATHERED  CREATION— RE  JOIN  OUR  FRIENDS— FERRYING  ACROSS 
A  RIVER— STRIKE  A  GOLD  PROSPECT— ON  A  PROSPECTING  TOUR— 
AN  AGREEMENT  THAT  FAILED— INSTRUCTED  TO  GO  TO  SAX  FRAN- 
CISCO TO  PROCEEDON  AMISSION— TRIP  TO  STOCKTON— GAMBLERS, 
SHARPERS  AND  MINERS  AT  THAT  PLACE— -A  TEMPTATION  OVER- 
COME—ARRIVE  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO—  WELCOMED  B V  SAINTS— RE- 
CEIVE KIND  TREATMENT— ON  BOARD  A  VESSEL  BOUND  FOR 
TAHITI. 

ON  the  second  day  of  our  journey  toward  the  mines 
we  were  confronted  by  a  band  of  wild  mustang 
horses.  Two  of  our  men  who  happened  to  be  half  a  mile 
ahead  of  the  other  four  of  us  were  cut  off  from  us  by  the 
wild  animals,  so  that  the  confusion  of  the  situation  was 
such  that  we  did  not  rejoin  them  for  three  days.  The 
band  was  about  three  hours  in  passing  us,  and  the  trail  was 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 45 

one  mile  in  width.  We  thought  it  a  low  estimate  to  say 
that  there  were  seven  or  eight  thousand  horses.  There 
seemed  to  be  hundreds  of  the  finest  animals  dashing  up 
and  down,  flanking  the  main  herd,  and  driving,  and  shaping 
the  course  followed.  To  save  ourselves  and  our  horses 
from  being  taken  in  by  them,  we  tied  our  horses'  heads 
close  together,  and  then  stood  between  them  and  the  wild 
band  with  our  rifles  in  hand  ready  to  shoot  the  leaders  or 
any  stallion  that  might  attempt  to  gather  in  our  horses,  as 
we  had  heard  that  they  did  not  hesitate  to  attempt  to  do 
when  out  on  the  open  plains  as  we  were.  We  supposed 
from  all  that  we  could  learn  that  they  had  been  to  the  San 
Joaquin  River  for  water,  and  were  returning  over  the  plains 
to  the  foothills  for  pasture.  The  noise  made  by  them  as 
they  galloped  past  us  was  like  distant,  heavy  thunder,  only 
it  was  a  long,  continuous  roar  or  rumbling  sound;  we  stood 
in  almost  breathless  silence,  and  mingled  fear  and  delight, 
and  viewed  the  magnificent  picture.  At  last  the  animals 
passed,  and  we  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief. 

We  proceeded  on  for  about  four  hours,  when  we  had 
to  call  another  halt  and  take  similar  precautions,  and  for 
the  same  reason,  except  that  there  were  only  about  five 
hundred  horses.  WThen  they  passed  we  steered  our  course 
for  the  lower  end  of  the  Tulare  Lake,  where,  so  we  had 
heard,  a  ferry  had  been  located  a  few  days  before.  As 
there  was  no  road  to  travel,  we  thought  we  would  go  high 
enough  and  then  follow  the  San  Joaquin  River  down  until 
we  came  to  the  crossing. 

Night  overtaking  us,  we  camped  by  a  slough  where 
bear  tracks,  large  and  small,  were  in  great  abundance.  For 
fear  of  Indians  we  dared  not  make  much  fire,  so  we  passed 
a  very  lonelv  night,  being  filled  with  anxiety  about  our  lost 
comrades,  not  knowing  what  had  become  of  them;  for,  as 
near  as  my  memory  serves  me,  this  was  our  second  night 
camp  since  the}'  were   separated  from  us.     To  add  to  our 


I46  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

troubles  and  gloom,  the  night  was  intensely  dark,  and  a 
drizzling  rain  was  falling. 

Suddenly  our  horses  all  broke  from  us.  We  followed 
them  by  the  sound  of  their  feet  as  they  ran,  and  after 
a  long  chase  through  swamps  and  sloughs  we  succeeded 
in  capturing  them.  Then  the  next  trouble  came.  We 
had  lost  one  man  and  all  our  pack,  and  were  without 
supper.  Being  out  of  hailing  distance,  it  was  by  mere 
chance  that  we  found  our  man  and  camp  late  in  the  night. 
Our  horses  had  become  so  frightened  that  it  was  necessary 
to  sit  up  till  morning,  to  keep  them  quiet;  so  that  only  two 
of  us  could  get  a  dreamy  snooze  at  a  time. 

Next  morning  dawned  and  our  friends  were  still  miss- 
ing. We  journeyed  on.  passing  down  the  sloughs  to  the 
river.  At  times  it  seemed  that  the  whole  feathered  tribe 
had  met  over  our  heads  and  all  around  in  one  grand  carni- 
val, to  consult  over  the  advent  of  the  white  man  into  that 
swampy  country.  We  had  never  before  beheld  such  a 
grand  aggregation  of  waterfowl,  and  the  writer  has  never 
seen  its  equal  since.  For  a  time,  wre  could  not  understand 
each  other's  talk,  because  of  the  clatter.  Our  next  sur- 
prise was  about  five  hundred  elk  which  passed  in  front  of 
us,  but  the  deep  sloughs  between  prevented  our  replenish- 
ing our  scanty  store  of  rations. 

Soon  we  were  pleased  at  falling  in  with  our  lost 
friends.  They  had  found  a  lone  wagon  trail  towards  the 
river.  We  dispatched  two  of  our  party  to  meet  the  main 
company,  and  the  rest  of  us  followed  the  wagon  trail  to  the 
river,  where  we  found  a  man  named  Woods  who  had  got 
there  three  days  ahead  of  us,  with  a  rowboat  and  a  small 
supply  of  provisions  and  groceries.  Salt  pork  and  hard 
sea  biscuit  were  selling  at  seventy-five  cents  per  pound, 
and  everything  else  proportionately  high.  The  boat  had 
just  been  launched. 

The  next  day,   when   the   wagons   came   in,   we  took 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  I47 

them  apart  and  crossed  in  a  boat,  all  except  my  wagon;  it 
being  heavy  and  having  the  rodometer  attached  to  it,  we 
got  a  cable  rope  and  thought  to  tow  the  w  agon  over  with 
the  load,  but  when  it  had  reached  the  middle  of  the  river, 
which  was  about  fifteen  rods  wide,  the  rope  parted  and  the 
wagon  turned  over  and  over.  Then  Irwin  Stoddard  jumped 
in  and  made  the  rope  fast  to  the  hind  axle,  and  as  he  could 
not  manage  the  pole  of  the  wagon,  I  jumped  in  to  help  him. 
Between  us,  we  liberated  the  pole,  so  that  after  great  exer- 
tion and  hazard  of  life  we  finally  succeeded  in  saving  the 
vehicle,  but  we  were  thoroughly  chilled  through.  We  did 
not  cross  our  animals  till  next  morning,  when  we  drove 
them  in  and  they  swam  over,  and  we  were  soon  on  our 
way  to  and  up  the  Merced  River.  Six  of  us  proceeded 
ahead  of  the  teams,  traveling  on  horseback,  to  see  what 
we  could  learn  that  would  be  of  benefit  to  the  company. 
On  the  third  day,  I  think  it  was,  we  came  to  a  small 
mining  camp  called  Burns'  Diggings,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Merced  River.  There  we  struck  a  very  good  pros- 
pect, and  stopped  until  the  main  company  came  up.  As  it 
was  evident  that  we  could  take  from  twelve  to  fifteen  dol- 
lars per  day  to  the  man,  we  advised  the  company  to  begin 
work  there,  as  the  country  was  so  muddy  and  soft  that  we 
could  not  make  much  headway  in  traveling  higher  into  the 
foot  hills.  They  agreed  to  accept  our  advice;  then  came 
a  quite  laughable  performance.  Those  who  had  been  the 
very  worst  drones  in  camp  were  now  the  first  with  the  pick 
and  washpan.  They  pitched  into  the  creek  as  if  they 
expected  to  scoop  up  the  gold  by  shovelfuls,  leaving  their 
teams  hitched  to  their  wagons;  while  those  who  had  been 
on  hand  early  and  late,  taking  a  more  methodical  view  of 
things,  first  formed  the  camp,  got  their  dinner,  and  then 
went  quietly  to  prospecting  up  and  down  the  creek.  By 
this  time  our  drones  decided  there  was  no  gold  there,  and 
that  they  would  go  where  there  was  some.     What  a  lesson 


I48  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

we  learned  there  of  human  nature!  The  next  day,  how- 
ever, things  settled  down  a  little  more  like  business,  after 
it  was  ascertained  that  some  had  been  making  from  fifteen 
to  twenty-five  and  fifty,  and  some  even  as  high  as  one 
hundred  dollars  per  day,  to  the  man.  Next  day,  Captain 
Egan  and  five  others  of  our  number  were  elected  to  go 
further  up  into  the  mountains  and  prospect  for  the  company, 
while  the  others  dug  gold.  The  latter  were  to  keep  an 
account  of  all  they  earned,  and  when  we  returned  they 
were  to  give  us  an  equal  share  with  those  who  stayed  and 
worked. 

On  these  conditions  six  of  us  set  out  on  horseback  and 
with  pack  mules.  When  we  got  well  into  the  mountains 
it  began  to  rain  and  snow  so  that  we  were  not  able  to  do 
much  but  cut  browse  for  our  horses.  The  snow  became 
so  deep  that  we  had  to  go  ahead  of  our  horses  and  break 
the  road  so  as  to  get  out.  We  were  soaked  to  the  skin, 
and  our  bedclothes  were  all  wet.  Our  provisions  were 
almost  gone;  so  we  set  out  for  our  camp,  after  spending 
ten  days  in  a  most  miserable  condition.  We  traveled  in 
snow  two  and  a  half  feet  deep  from  2  p.  m.  until  6  a. 
m.  before  we  succeeded  in  reaching  camp,  when  we  found 
that  Apostle  Rich  had  been  there,  and  the  men  had  sent 
every  dollar's  worth  of  gold  they  had  dug  in  our  absence 
to  Stockton  for  supplies  of  provisions,  clothing,  tools,  etc., 
so  there  was  none  left  to  pay  us  our  proportion. 

As  Apostle  C.  C.  Rich  had  brought  word  that  Brother 
A.  Pratt  desired  me  to  meet  him  in  San  Francisco  by  a 
certain  date,  I  packed  up  my  effects,  sold  my  oxen  to 
Captain  Jefferson  Hunt  for  two  hundred  dollars,  and  bade 
adieu  to  the  rest  of  the  camp,  who  owed  me  one  hundred 
dollars,  and  they  yet  owe  it. 

I  traveled  in  company  with  C.  C.  Rich  and  Howard 
Egan.  On  the  20th  of  March,  when  we  got  out  of  the 
hills,    we    took   the   main   road  to   Stockton,   crossing   the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 49 

Merced,  Tuolumne,  and  Stanislaus  rivers,  all  tributaries  to 
the  San  Joaquin  River.  We  arrived  in  Stockton  on  March 
28th.  The  place  was  at  that  time  a  point  of  debarkation 
where  freight  was  landed  for  the  many  mining  camps. 
There  were  a  few  trading  establishments  and  warehouses, 
and  three  or  four  large  gambling  houses  in  and  around 
which  were  gathered  freighters,  packers,  and  one  of  the 
most  motley  gangs  it  has  ever  been  my  lot  to  see.  Bands 
of  music  were  in  the  gambling  halls.  At  one  of  these  I 
noted  twelve  tables,  four  men  at  each,  armed  with  bowie 
knives  and  revolvers;  and  to  me  it  looked  as  if  there  were 
more  gold  and  silver  exposed  on  those  twelve  tables  than 
six  mules  could  draw.  On  the  street  and  around  the  door, 
calling  on  the  passers-by  to  come  in  and  have  a  free  drink 
and  listen  to  the  music,  were  men  whom  I  soon  learned 
were  called  cappers,  or  ropers-in,  to  the  gambling  hall;  they 
would  steam  men  up  with  drink,  get  them  to  gambling,  and 
rob  them.  Sometimes  men  would  come  in  from  the  mines 
with  their  buckskin  wallets  containing  three  to  four  hun- 
dred dollars'  worth  of  gold.  They  would  stand  around  with 
perfect  strangers  and  drink  free  whisky  until  they  became 
dazed,  then  would  set  down  their  wallets  of  gold  on  a  card, 
and  the  next  moment  their  money  would  be  taken  up  by 
the  gambler,  who  would  continue  dealing  his  cards  as  un- 
concernedly as  he  would  knock  the  ashes  from  his  cigar. 
The  poor,  silly  miner  would  turn  away  with  a  sickly  look, 
having  not  even  enough  left  to  get  him  a  change  of  cloth- 
ing. He  would  go  into  the  street  with  his  old  miner's 
clothes  on,  without  a  dime  to  pay  for  his  supper  or  to  get 
a  night's  lodging.  Sometimes  thousands  of  dollars  would 
change  hands  in  a  few  moments.  This  was  in  the  spring 
of  1850,  when  the  strong,  with  revolver  and  bowie  knife, 
were  law.  when  gamblers  and  blacklegs  ran  many  of  the 
towns  in  California. 

By  this  time  I  imagine  that  the  reader  asks  what,  as  a 


150  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

missionary,  I  was  doing  there.  I  might  answer  by  quoting 
the  saying  of  Christ,  that  it  was  not  the  righteous  but  the 
sinners  that  He  had  come  to  call  to  repentance.  But  I  will 
not  offer  this  excuse,  for  it  was  not  applicable;  and  as 
open  confession  is  good  for  the  soul,  I  will  make  one, 
hoping  that  it  may  be  not  only  good  for  my  soul,  but 
be  a  warning  to  all  who  read  it.  I  was  twenty-one  years 
old  at  the  time,  and  was  alone  on  the  street.  I  did  not 
know  where  to  go  or  what  to  do.  My  companions  had  left 
on  business,  and  as  I  started  along  the  street  I  met  with  an 
old  time  friend  who  appeared  very  much  pleased  to  see  me. 
His  pleasure  was  reciprocated.  He  asked  me  to  go  in  and 
have  something  to  drink;  I  thanked  him  and  said  that  I  was 
not  in  the  habit  of  indulging.  He  said,  uOh,  come  in,  and 
have  a  little  wine  for  old  friendship's  sake.  There  is  no 
harm  in  a  little  wine;  come,  go  in  and  hear  the  music,  any- 
way." With  that  I  turned  in  with  him  to  the  largest 
gambling  den  in  the  town.  The  place  was  packed  with 
men  of  almost  every  nationality.  This  was  the  house  I 
have  described. 

In  the  time  of  great  excitement,  it  must  be  confessed, 
the  writer  was  tempted  to  lay  down  a  purse  of  one  hundred 
dollars,  as  he  had  that  amount  with  him.  But  the  next 
instant  the  thought  came  to  him,  Would  -you  try  to  beat  a 
watchmaker  or  a  gunsmith  at  his  trade?  The  idea  was  so 
absurd  that  he  then  thought  how  foolish  it  was  to  try  to 
beat  these  professional  gamblers  at  their  own  game.  Then 
the  disgrace  that  attached  to  the  act  became  so  repulsive  to 
his  nature,  that  he  felt  ashamed  that  he  ever  had  been 
tempted;  and  to  this  day,  in  a  life  of  seventy-two  years,  he  has 
never  gambled.  He  has  always  felt  thankful  that  that 
simple  thought  came  to  him  at  that  time  and  place. 

As  soon  as  I  could  arrange  a  little  business  that 
detained  me  at  Stockton,  I  boarded  a  steamboat  called  the 
Captain  Sutter,  bound   for   San   Francisco,  paying  twenty- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  151 

five  dollars  for  a  seventy-five  mile  ride  on  the  crowded 
deck.  I  paid  two  dollars  for  a  dinner  that  consisted  of 
tough  beef,  poor  bread,  and  a  cup  of  tea.  Such  were 
"times"  in  California  in  1850. 

We  landed  at  the  great  wharf  in  San  Francisco  about 
8  o'clock  that  evening,  April  5th.  I  went  up  town, 
where  the  streets  were  crowded,  then  returned  and  slept 
on  the  deck  of  the  boat.  Next  morning,  I  took  my  trunk 
to  the  Boston  House,  and  leaving  it  there,  sought  friends. 
I  was  not  long  in  finding  Brother  Morris,  who  directed  me 
to  Brother  Cade's,  who.  together  with  his  good  lady, 
received  me  very  kindly.  He  inquired  if  I  had  any  place 
to  stop  at.  and  when  I  told  him  no,  he  said,  '-Stop  and  have 
dinner  with  us,  then  bring  your  trunk  here  and  stay  until  you 
can  do  better,  if  you  can  do  with  such  fare  as  we  have.  We 
are  old  and  cannot  do  very  well,  but  you  are  welcome  to 
stay  with  us  as  long  as  my  old  lady  can  cook  for  us." 

With  thanks,  the  writer  accepted  the  kind  offer,  and 
from  there  visited  the  Saints  in  San  Francisco.  I  met 
Amasa  M.  Lyman  and  Charles  C.  Rich,  two  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles,  also  found  Addison  Pratt,  my  fellow  missionary. 
Brother  and  Sister  Cade  were  not  willing  that  I  should 
stop  over  night  at  any  other  place,  or  pay  for  my  wash- 
ing. The  good  old  lady  said  she  had  money  enough  to 
last  her  while  she  lived  and  pay  for  the  washing  of  my 
clothes.  Sister  Ivins.  who  lived  near  by,  sent  for  my  clothes 
and  had  them  well  laundered.  While  I  stayed  there,  Sister 
Cade  presented  me  with  five  dollars  and  a  nice  silk  hand- 
kerchief, and  the  old  gentleman  gave  me  a  good  inkstand. 
Sister  Patch,  who  lived  near  by,  gave  me  five  dollars  and  a 
silk  vest,  and  many  of  the  Saints  showed  us  favors. 

On  April  19th  we  carried  our  trunks  on  board  the  brig 
Frederick.  Captain  Dunham  commanding.  The  fare  was 
one  hundred  dollars  each,  in  the  cabin.  We  returned  on 
shore  and   stayed    over    night,    and    having    received    our 


152  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER 

instructions  and  blessings  from  Apostles  A.  M.  Lyman  and 
C.  C.  Rich,  we  boarded  the  vessel  at  6  o'clock  a.  m., 
April  20,  and  sailed  away  to  the  southwest,  for  the  island 
of  Tahiti,  South  Pacific  Ocean. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

BAILING  FOR  THE  SOUTH  PACIFIC— SEVERE  ATTACK  OF  SEASICKNESS- 
BECALMED  IN  THE  TROPICS— INTENSE  HEAT— MARQUESAS  ISLANDS 
—CANNIBALS-REACH  TAHITI— LAND  AT  PAPEETE— MEET  WITH 
FRIENDS— HEARTS  WELCOME— PREACHING  TO  THE  NATIVE! — 
ANIMOSITY  OF  PROTESTANT8  AM)  CATHOLICS  TOWARD  THE 
MORMONS— JEALOUSY  OF  FRENCH  GOVERNMENT  OFFICIALS  ON 
THE  ISLAND— WATCHED  BY  DETECTIVES— SIX  NATIVES  BAPTIZED 
—LEARNING  THE  LANGUAGE— RUMORS  OF  AN  INTENTION  TO 
EXPEL  THE  MORMONS— ELDERS  B<  F.  GROUARD  AND  T.  Willi  \- 
KEB  ARRESTED— APPEAL  FOB  AID— THEIR  RELEASE  AND  RETURN 
TO  THEIB  MISSIONARY  LABORS— MEET  WITH  BROTHER  PRATT 
AGAIN— INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  GOVERNOR— THAT  OFFICIAL  RE- 
FUSES ELDERS  PRATT  AND  BR<  »\\ "N  PERMISSH  »N  TO  VISIT  ANOTHER 
ISLAND— SCARCITY  OF  Fool)  AT  HUAUA— EATING  SEASNALLS  AND 
BUGS— STRANGE  DISHES  OF  FOOD— ALMOST  PERISH  FROM  THIRST 
—VISIT  TO  TIARARA— ACQUIRING  THE  LANGUAGE. 

LEAVING  San  Francisco  on  April  20,  1850,  the  wind 
being  fair,  we  made  about  eight  knots  per  hour,  and 
soon  lost  sight  of  the  land  over  which  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
waves.  The  writer  became  very  seasick,  and  remained  so 
for  the  voyage.  He  was  seven  days  without  an  action  of 
his  bowels,  and  he  could  not  retain  any  kind  of  food  on  his 
stomach  until  we  got  down  in  the  tropics,  when  two  flying  fish 
flew  aboard  ship  at  night,  and  the  steward  cooked  them  for 
the  sick  man.  That  was  the  first  thing  he  had  a  relish  for. 
The  captain  said  that  if  he  had  ever  heard  of  anybody 
dving  of  seasickness  he  would  have  had  no  hopes  of  get- 
ting the  writer  ashore. 

The  monotony  of  the  voyage  was  broken  only  by  vast 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  I  $3 

fields  of  seaweed,  so  dense  that  it  greatly  impeded  our 
progress.  Seabirds  and  fish  were  very  plentiful,  and  many 
times  attracted  the  attention  of  the  voyagers,  who  caught 
several  kinds  of  fish,  including  dolphin,  shark  and  porpoise. 
The  fishing  afforded  some  amusing  sport,  the  writer  gain- 
ing courage  enough  at  one  time  to  crawl  out  on  the  jibboom 
and  catch  one  fish. 

The  most  trying  event  of  the  whole  voyage  was  a 
calm  in  the  torrid  zone,  where  we  lay  for  eight  days;  it 
was  said  that  in  that  time  we  gained  only  eight  miles. 
During  that  calm  all  the  pitch  broiled  out  of  the  seams  of 
the  deck,  making  it  leak  so  that  it  had  to  be  recalked 
and  repitched.  It  became  so  hot  that  a  man  could  not 
endure  his  bare  feet  on  it,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for 
the  seamen  throwing  water  on  deck  it  seemed  that  we 
could  not  have  lived  through  the  terrible  ordeal.  Finally  a 
gentle  breeze  came  to  our  relief,  and  we  were  wafted  in 
sight  of  the  Marquesas  Islands.  We  passed  so  close  to 
these  that  the  captain  expressed  a  fear  that  we  were  in  dan- 
ger of  being  attacked  by  the  natives  of  Nukahuia,  the 
principal  island.  He  said  they  wrere  cannibals,  and  that 
small  vessels  had  been  captured  by  the  natives  coming  off 
in  such  numbers,  in  canoes,  as  to  overpower  the  crews. 
Hence  he  thought  it  dangerous  to  be  so  close  with  such 
light  winds  as  we  had.  The  wind  soon  freshened  to  a  gale, 
and  thus  our  fears  were  allayed  as  we  bore  down  close 
along  to  the  northward  of  the  Tuamotu  group,  sighting 
some  of  them,  to  Tahiti,  on  which  we  landed  on  May  24, 
1850. 

Tahiti  is  the  principal  island  of  the  Society  group;  it 
is  said  to  be  eighty  miles  in  length,  varying  from  two 
miles  at  the  isthmus  to  forty  miles  in  the  widest  place.  The 
highest  mountain  summit  is  said  to  be  five  thousand  feet 
or  more.     The  capital,   Papeete,  is  in   latitude    17   degrees 

to 


154  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

32  minutes  south,  longitude  144  degrees  34  minutes  west. 
The  islands  were  invaded  by  the  French  in  1843.  In 
1847  the  war  was  concluded,  but  not  until  much  blood 
had  been  spilled  and  the  country  laid  waste.  Then  a 
French  protectorate  was  established  there,  and  consequently, 
at  the  time  we  arrived,  we  found  ourselves  under  the  French 
flag,  and  had  to  apply  to  Governor  Bonard  for  permission 
to  go  on  shore.  This  was  granted,  but  very  reluctantly, 
and  we  paid  the  secretary  three  francs  for  each  of  us. 

Once  on  shore,  we  found  Brother  Pratt's  old  friends. 
Hamatua  and  Pohe,  who  treated  us  very  kindly  and  on 
May  25th  got  our  baggage  from  the  vessel,  then  took  us 
in  their  boat  around  the  northeast  of  the  island  to  their 
home  in  a  little  village  called  Huaua,  where  we  were  met 
by  their  families  and  six  or  seven  Church  members.  It 
seemed  to  be  impossible  for  them  to  rejoice  any  more  than 
they  did,  and  under  the  circumstances  we  could  not  be 
treated  with  greater  kindness.  They  provided  us  with  the 
best  the  land  produced,  making  us  cordially  welcome. 

Brother  Pratt  preached  to  them,  while  I  was  deaf  and 
dumb,  so  far  as  the  spoken  language  was  concerned;  but 
the  actions  of  the  natives  spoke  louder  than  words.  When 
it  came  to  meal  time,  they  spread  before  us  roast  pig,  and 
fish,  taro,  fais,  bananas,  cocoanuts,  sweet-potatoes,  popoie, 
oranges,  pine  and  vee  apples,  doavas,  bread  fruit,  etc.  We 
had  appetites  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  felt  no  remorse  for 
not  having  done  justice  to  the  table,  or  to  the  chest  which 
was  a  substitute  for  a  table. 

We  soon  learned  that  the  Protestant  ministers  and 
Catholic  priest  were  very  much  prejudiced  against  us,  and 
were  doing  all  they  could  to  prevent  the  people  receiving 
us  into  their  houses,  advising  them  not  to  hold  any  conver- 
sation with  us,  or  attend  our  meetings.  We  also  learned 
that  the  government  officials  were  jealous  of  Mormon  in- 
fluence, and  that  a  watch  wTas  kept  over  us,  in  other  words, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 55 

the  natives  said  that  detectives  were  on  our  track,  and  that 
a  ship  of  war  had  been  sent  to  Tubuoi  for  Elders  B.  F. 
Grouard  and  T.  Whitaker,  who  were  on  that  island  as 
Mormon  missionaries,  and  who  had  been  accused  of  speak- 
ing against  the  government.  It  may  be  imagined,  there- 
fore, that  in  all  respects  our  stay  was  not  so  pleasant  as 
otherwise  it  might  have  been. 

As  it  was,  however,  we  made  the  best  of  the  situation. 
Brother  Pratt  preached  and  talked  much  of  the  time  to  a 
few  who  gathered  around,  and  he  soon  baptized  six  per- 
sons. I  studied  the  language  by  committing  a  few  words 
to  memory,  then  forming  them  into  sentences,  and  having 
them  corrected  by  the  natives.  Then,  when  I  heard  one 
tell  another  what  to  do,  I  watched  what  was  done.  I  col- 
lected many  sentences,  and  walked  the  beach  till  I  com- 
mitted them  to  memory.  At  first  it  seemed  a  very  difficult 
task  to  catch  the  sounds,  but  in  a  short  time  I  could  begin 
to  understand,  and  then  to  talk.  For  a  change  I  would  rest 
myself  from  studying  the  language  by  practicing  reading 
and  writing,  having  provided  myself  with  copybooks  and 
other  necessary  material  before  leaving  San  Francisco. 

The  home  we  had  been  made  so  welcome  to  wras  situ- 
ated a  few  rods  from  the  beach,  and  between  two  little 
streams  of  water  that  came  tumbling  down  from  the  steep 
precipices  in  the  background  into  a  small  valley,  wrhich  was 
heavily  timbered.  There  were  some  six  or  seven  small 
huts  or  dwellings  and  twenty-five  or  thirty  people  all  told. 
No  business  was  carried  on  further  than  gathering  the  fruit 
that  grew,  uncultivated,  in  abundance  for  the  needs  of  the 
population;  and  with  little  effort  they  caught  fish  as  they 
cared  to  consume  it.  As  most  of  the  people  of  the  village 
were  quiet  and  peaceable,  it  will  be  understood  why  we 
called  the  place  our  lonely  retreat,  or  lonely  Huaua.  We 
visited  other  villages  occasionally,  and  tried  to  interest  the 
inhabitants  and  preach  to  them,  but  in   vain.     They  would 


156  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

give  us  food,  and  sometimes  offered  to  keep  us  over  night, 
but  as  a  rule  they  were  very  cold  and  indifferent  towards  us. 

Under  the  circumstances  the  best  we  could  do  was  to 
study  the  language  and  prepare  ourselves  for  future  useful- 
ness as  the  way  might  open.  Meanwhile,  many  rumors 
were  in  circulation  about  the  French  driving  the  Mormons 
out  of  the  country;  and  the  Protestant  ministers  and  Cath- 
olic priest  seemed  to  spare  no  pains  to  spread  all  the  slan- 
derous stories  they  ever  had  heard  about  the  Mormons.  So 
many  rumors  were  in  circulation  that  we  did  not  know 
what  to  believe,  so  we  remained  in  suspense  till  July  17, 
when,  to  our  surprise,  Brother  Grouard  came  in  through  a 
heavy  rain  and  told  us  that  he  and  Brother  Whitaker  had 
been  brought  from  Tubuoi,  where  they  had  been  building 
a  small  schooner  for  the  use  of  the  mission.  He  said  they 
had  been  arrested  on  the  charge  of  speaking  against  the 
French  government.  They  had  landed  that  morning  from 
a  ship  of  war,  and  he  had  got  permission  to  come  and  see 
us,  but  had  to  return  that  evening  so  as  to  be  at  the  trial 
next  morning.  He  had  left  a  horse  five  miles  back,  because 
the  road  was  so  rough  that  he  could  cover  the  distance  on 
foot  quicker  than  on  horseback,  and  had  no  time  to  lose. 
He  greatly  desired  that  Brother  Pratt  and  I  should  be  at 
his  trial.  Said  he,  "I  am  innocent,  but  I  do  not  know  what 
thev  will  prove,  and  we  want  you  to  stand  by  us."  So  it 
was  agreed  that  Brother  Hamatua  and  I  should  go  on  foot 
early  next  morning,  and  Brothers  Pratt  and  Pohe  would 
come  as  soon  as  the  wind  quieted  down,  as  it  was  then  too 
high  to  venture  out  in  the  boat. 

Brother  Hamatua  and  I  ?et  out  early  in  the  morning, 
in  a  heavy  rain,  which  continued  to  pour  down  till  we 
reached  Papeete,  at  11  o'clock,  when  we  met  Brot-her 
Grouard  coming  from  his  trial,  he  having  been  discharged. 
He  said  Brother  Whitaker  would  also  be  acquitted, 
although  the  prejudice  against  them  was  very  strong. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  157 

Brothers  Grouard  and  YVhitaker  thought  the  govern- 
ment would  board  and  lodge  them  at  least  till  it  got  ready 
to  return  them  home  again,  but  in  this  they  were  mistaken, 
so  they  and  I  did  the  best  we  could  for  ourselves.  We 
soon  learned  that  the  steamship  Sarien  would  leave  for 
Tubuoi  in  three  or  four  days,  and  the  brethren  would  be 
taken  back  on  that.  Brother  Grouard  sought  the  permis- 
sion of  the  governor  for  Brother  Pratt  and  me  to  go  on  the 
Sarien  with  him.  This  was  refused  on  the  ground  that 
two  Mormon  missionaries  were  enough  on  that  island. 
The  governor  did  not  wish  any  more  to  go  until  he  knew 
more  about  them. 

The  wind  kept  so  high  that  Brother  Pratt  did  not 
reach  Papeete  until  Brothers  Grouard  and  Whitaker  had 
bten  acquitted  and  had  gone.  I  had  started  home,  and 
was  overhauled  by  Brother  Grouard,  who  said  something 
had  broken  on  the  ship  and  they  had  to  stop  to  repair  it; 
that  he  could  not  remain  to  see  Brother  Pratt,  but  would 
stay  with  me  as  long  as  he  could.  He  had  only  a  few 
moments  to  stop,  so  I  proceeded  about  six  miles,  when  I 
learned  that  Brother  Pratt  was  on  the  way  by  boat.  Upon 
obtaining  this  information  I  went  back  to  the  house 
where  we  had  stayed  two  or  three  nights,  rinding  the 
place  barren  and  uninviting.  Everything  was  very  lonely 
with  no  friends  there.  I  feared  that  I  would  be  alone  that 
night,  but  at  last  Brother  Pratt  came.  The  boat  had 
stopped,  with  our  bedding  and  provisions,  three  or  four  miles 
up  the  coast.  Although  the  night  was  very  dark,  and  the 
road  lay  through  the  woods  and  across  creeks,  Brother 
Pratt  thought  we  had  better  try  to  make  the  boat  for  the 
night,  as  we  had  to  give  up  going  to  Tubuoi. 

This  course  was  followed,  and  we  found  our  friends 
and  bedding  all  right.  Not  being  satisfied,  however,  with 
the  situation,  we  went  back  to  Papeete  next  morning,  to 
see  the  governor  ourselves.     When  we  met  him,   Brother 


158  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Pratt  asked  the  reason  why  we  could  not  be  free  to  go 
where  we  chose.  He  replied  that  there  had  been  some 
trouble  with  Mr.  Grouard,  and  as  it  was  his  business  to 
look  after  government  affairs,  he  wished  to  inquire  into  the 
matter  further  before  permitting  more  American  mission- 
aries to  go  there.  Said  he:  " While  I  do  not  wish  to 
interfere  with  religion,  it  is  my  duty  to  keep  peace,  and  if 
you  will  call  again  in  a  month  or  six  weeks,  I  will  let  you 
know  more  about  it." 

At  this  we  went  to  the  boat,  and  with  our  friends 
returned  to  lonely  Huaua.  Indeed,  if  it  had  not  been  for 
our  friends  Hamatua  and  Pohe  and  their  families,  our  stay 
at  the  place  for  some  time  after  this  would  have  been  very 
uncomfortable.  Food  had  become  very  scarce,  so  that  we 
had  to  eat  seasnails,  and  bugs  that  played  on  the  surface  of 
salt  water  pools.  These  bugs  were  about  the  size  of  the 
end  of  a  man's  thumb;  in  form  and  action  they  very  much 
resembled  the  little  black  bugs  found  along  the  edges  of 
our  fresh  water  streams,  and  called  by  some  people  mellow 
bugs.  I  submit  that  a  dish  of  these,  without  pepper  or 
salt,  was  a  strange  sight  to  present  to  a  white  man — their 
legs  sticking  out  in  all  directions;  yet,  when  a  man  has 
gone  long  enough  without  food,  they  become  quite  tempt- 
ing, and  he  is  not  very  particular  about  the  legs,  either. 

We  also  had  other  strange  dishes  set  before  us.  When 
other  food  failed,  the  natives  would  go  to  the  mouths  of 
small  fresh  water  streams,  and  dig  in  the  sands,  just  where 
the  high  tide  flowed,  and  at  a  depth  of  twelve  to  eighteen 
inches  they  would  find  a  something  that  resembled  young 
snakes  more  than  anything  else  I  can  compare  them  to. 
They  were  from  six  to  ten  inches  in  length,  had  a  snake's 
mouth,  and  a  spinal  column,  or  we  should  have  called  them 
worms;  they  were  without  fins,  or  we  might  have  called 
them  eels.  The  natives  had  a  name  for  them,  but  I  have 
forgotten  it.     When  they  were  boiled  in  salt  water — put  a 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 55 

quart  or  two  into  a  pot  of  cold  seawater,  then  hang  them 
over  the  fire  and  see  them  squirm  a  few  moments — they 
were  ready  for  the  missionary's  meal,  taken  without  pepper 
or  salt.  When  cooked,  a  person  seizes  one  by  the  head 
and  extracts  it  from  the  dish,  or  the  banana  leaf,  as  the  case 
may  be.  He  retains  the  head  between  his  thumb  and 
forefinger,  then  takes  hold  of  the  body  with  his  teeth, 
draws  it  through  these,  and  thus  strips  off  the  flesh  in  his 
mouth.  He  then  lays  down  the  head  and  backbone,  and 
repeats  the  operation  until  he  has  completed  his  repast. 

Just  a  moment,  my  friendly  reader;  we  have  another 
dish  for  you  on  the  Society  Islands,  that  you  may  enjoy 
better.  It  is  a  peculiar  kind  of  fish,  very  rare  indeed,  for 
they  seldom  appear  more  than  once  or  twice  in  a  year: 
then  they  are  present  by  myriads.  They  come  up  out  of 
the  sea  into  the  fresh  water  streams  so  thickly  that  they 
can  be  dipped  up  with  a  frying-pan  or  bucket.  Sometimes 
the  natives  dip  them  up  with  an  open  bucket,  or  with  a 
sack  having  a  hoop  in  the  mouth,  thus  taking  them  by 
bushels.  These  fish  are  of  a  dark  color,  and  from  half  an 
inch  to  an  inch  and  a  quarter  long.  When  boiled  they  look 
like  boiled  rice,  and  a  man  can  eat  about  as  many  of  them  as 
he  can  grains  of  that  vegetable.  When  they  are  eaten 
with  the  cream  of  the  cocoanut  they  are  quite  palatable. 
This  dish  is  not  very  common,  as  I  remember  seeing  it  in 
only  three  or  four  places. 

Besides  the  dish  named,  we  had  a  small  shellfish  called 
maava.  It  lives  in  a  shell  so  much  like  a  snail's  that  we 
called  it  a  seasnail.  It  was  cooked  in  the  shell,  and  was 
quite  acceptable  for  a  change  in  hard  times.  We  also  had 
a  large  shellfish  called  pahua;  again,  we  had  a  jelly-fish 
which,  when  taken  and  laid  in  a  dish,  very  much  resem- 
bled the  white  of  an  egg;  it  had  neither  scales  nor  bones, 
and  was  eaten  raw,  without  pepper  or  salt. 

Still  another  course  of  food  which  we  had  was  wild 


l6o  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

boar  from  the  mountains.  I  can  only  say  that  the  flesh  is 
hard  and  tough.  Brother  Pratt  shot  a  boar  with  his  shot- 
gun. This  pleased  the  natives  very  much.  I  also  gave 
chase  to  one  which  led  me  so  far  away  from  water  that  I 
felt  I  should  die  of  thirst  and  heat.  On  my  descent  return- 
ing, I  came  to  a  lone  cocoanut  tree  that  had  plenty  of  nuts 
on.  I  tried  in  vain  to  climb  the  tree;  then  I  clubbed  the 
nuts  that  were  only  forty  feet  or  so  up,  but  finding  that  it 
was  impossible  to  obtain  drink  in  that  way,  I  sat  down  in 
the  shade  in  despair,  and  felt  for  a  moment  that  I  could  not 
live  to  reach  water.  At  last  mv  nerves  became  somewhat 
steadied,  and  I  took  aim  at  the  stem  of  a  nut,  it  being  not 
so  thick  as  my  little  ringer.  The  bullet  cut  one  stem  en- 
tirely away  and  passed  through  another  close  to  the  nut. 
Thus  two  cocoanuts  dropped,  and  hopes  of  life  sprung  up 
anew,  only  to  perish,  for  I  found  it  impossible  to  open  the 
nuts.  After  a  brief  rest,  I  started  down  the  mountain 
again,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  a  cocoanut  grove  where 
an  old  man  was  throwing  down  nuts.  I  told  him  of  my 
suffering  and  he  hastened  down,  opened  a  nut,  and  gave 
me  a  drink  that  was  most  refreshing.  May  he  receive  a 
prophet's  reward,  for  he  gave  me  drink  when  it  seemed 
that  life  was  fast  ebbing  away.  The  welcome  draught  re- 
freshed me  so  that  I  gained  the  village  early,  being  wiser 
for  the  experience  of  following  wild  boars  in  the  mountains 
away  from  water.  Although  the  temptation  came  to  me 
several  times  afterward,  I  never  chased  a  wild  boar  again; 
but  at  one  time  I  killed  one  which  appeared  to  be  about 
two  years  old,  without  a  chase.  This,  and  hunting  ducks 
and  fishing  a  little,  greatly  relieved  the  monotony  of  our 
involuntary  stay. 

For  a  change  from  our  living  at  Huaua,  I  went  to  visit 
Pohe,  nephew  of  my  old  friend  Hamatua,  who  lived  at 
Tiara,  three  miles  up  the  coast,  making  my  home  with  him. 
I  visited  among  the  people  there,  and  by  hearing  none  but 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES   S.    BROWN.  l6l 

the  Tahitian  language  spoken.  I  progressed  very  fast 
therein;  indeed  my  progress  astonished  the  natives  at 
Tiara,  who  said.  "The  Lord  helps  the  Mormon  mission- 
aries learn  our  language,  for  in  three  months  they  speak  it 
better  than  other  foreigners  do  in  rive  years." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

OFFEB  OF  TRANSPORTATION  TO  THE  ISLAND  OF  TUBUOI— APPLY  TO  THE 
GOVEENOB  FOB  PERMISSION  TO  GO— TROOPS  ON  PARADE— SUITE 
OF  QUEEN  POMERE— CALL  <  >N  THE  GOVERNOR— CONVERSATION  IX 
THREE  LANGUAGE  —  DIRECTED  TO  COME  AGAIN  NEXT  DAY— PUT 
OFF  BY  THE  GOVERNOR— LATTEJB  REFUSES  TILE  PERMISSION 
A8KED— HIS  PREJUDK  E  AGAINST  THE  MORMON — DEMANDS  A 
STATEMENT  OF  THEIR  DOCTRLNEI — NOT  REQUIRED  OF  OTHER 
DENOMINATIONS— WRITER'S  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  GOVERNOR- 
RETURN  To  III  \('A— OTHER  ELDERS  REQ1  ESTED  TO  ASSEMBLE 
THERE -BITTERNESS  OF  PROTE8TANT  MINISTER — NATIVES  COM- 
MENT ON  MORMONS  LEARNING  Tin  1 1.'  LANGUAGE  QUICKLY. 

DURING  my  stay  at  Tiara,  news  came  to  Brother 
Pratt  that  a  schooner  from  Lurutu  was  at  Papeete, 
and  that  the  captain  had  proffered  to  take  us  to  Tubuoi 
free  of  charge.  On  receiving  this  message  I  returned  at 
once  to  Huaua.  Brother  Pratt  requested  me  to  visit  Gov- 
ernor Bonard.  and  see  if  we  could  get  permission  to  make 
the  trip,  it  being  near  the  time  when  we  were  to  call  on 
him  again.  It  was  necessary  for  us  to  give  him  eight  days' 
notice  of  our  coming,  and  as  the  vessel  was  to  sail  in  ten 
days,  there  was  no  time  to  lose. 

On  August  9th  I  set  out,  two  native  boys  accompanying 
me.  When  we  reached  Hapape,  we  saw  there  about  four 
hundred  soldiers.  Then  we  met  Governor  Bonard  and 
staff,  and  after  them  saw  Queen  Pomere  and  suite,  all  in 
their  military  dress.     It  was  difficult  to  tell  which  made  the 


1 62  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

finest  appearance.  On  our  arrival  in  Papeete  we  were  told 
that  the  troops  had  gone  out  on  dress  parade  and  review, 
preparatory  to  sailing  to  the  island  of  Huhine,  to  settle 
some  trouble  between  the  natives  of  that  island  and  some 
shipwrecked  foreigners.  It  was  late  when  we  reached 
Papeete,  and  we  went  to  the  house  of  a  native  named  Didi, 
staying  over  night;  he  was  very  kind  to  us.  I  also  met 
with  the  owner  of  the  Lurutu  vessel,  who  told  me  he  would 
take  us  to  Tubuoi  free  of  charge,  if  we  wished  to  go.  He 
seemed  very  friendly  toward  us. 

The  next  day,  August  ioth.  I  went  to  see  the  gov- 
ernor. I  met  a  sentinel  at  the  gate,  who  ordered  me  to 
halt.  Then  he  called  for  the  officer  of  the  day,  who  told 
me  to  wait  till  he  gave  notice  to  the  governor.  The  officer 
went  in,  and  soon  returned  and  beckoned  me  forward.  I 
advanced  past  a  second  sentinel,  when  the  officer  ushered 
me  into  the  presence  of  his  excellency,  who  rose  from  his 
seat  and  met  me.  When  we  had  shaken  hands,  he  very 
politely  bade  me  to  be  seated,  and  then  said  pleasantly: 
"Do  you  speak  English?"  This  question  being  answered 
in  the  affirmative,  he  said,  uMe  speak  lete."  Then  we 
entered  upon  a  conversation.  As  I  understood  a  little 
French,  and  both  of  us  could  speak  a  limited  amount  of 
Tahitian,  we  made  a  jargon  of  one-third  English,  one-third 
French,  and  one-third  Tahitian.  Then  we  laughed  heartily 
at  each  other  because  of  our  novel  attempts  in  the  three 
languages.  The  governor  invited  me  to  call  next  morning, 
when  his  French  captain,  who  could  speak  English,  would 
be  there.  Then,  with  French  politeness,  he  bowed  me  out 
and  off. 

Next  morning  I  went,  and  met  the  governor  going  to 
church.  He  said  he  had  forgotten  it  was  Sunday,  so  I 
would  have  to  wait  an  hour  or  two,  and  come  again. 
This  I  did,  being  stopped  by  the  sentinel  as  before,  going 
through  all  the  ceremonies  of  the  previous  visit,  and  being 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    |AMES    S.    BROWN.  163 

ushered  into  the  same  room.  I  met  the  English-speaking 
captain,  to  whom  T  made  my  business  known.  Said  he, 
••The  governor  declines  to  grant  your  request."  I  was  not 
disappointed,  for  I  was  well  satisfied  from  what  I  had 
learned  the  day  before  that  that  would  be  the  result,  but  as 
the  talk  had  not  been  very  conclusive,  I  had  called  for  a 
clearer  understanding,  hoping  the  governor  might  yield 
when  he  understood  us  better.  In  this  I  was  mistaken, 
however,  as  it  seemed  the  governor  was  thoroughly  rilled 
with  prejudice  against  even  the  name  of  Mormon  Elder. 
I  asked  Governor  Bonard  his  reasons  for  detaining  us 
where  we  were.  He  said  that  in  the  first  place  he  had  no 
proof  that  we  were  good  men,  and  he  wished  to  know  what 
we  would  preach,  and  what  our  doctrines  and  faith  were. 
I  told  him  that  we  preached  the  Gospel  which  Jesus  Christ 
and  His  Apostles  preached,  and  could  produce  our  creden- 
tials, if  he  desired  to  see  them.  He  said  no,  he  did  not 
wish  that  of  us;  neither  did  he  wish  to  interfere  with  relig- 
ious matters,  but  it  was  for  peace  in  the  country  that  he 
wished  us  to  stop  there;  for  if  we  and  everybody  who 
desired  it  were  allowed  to  set  forth  new  doctrines  among 
the  people,  and  get  them  divided  among  themselves,  they 
would  be  fighting,  and  it  was  his  place  to  keep  the  peace. 
Said  he,  "Before  you  go  from  this  island,  I  wish  to  know 
more  about  your  doctrine."  I  told  him  that  was  what  we 
wished  him  and  every  good  man  to  know,  and  to  embrace 
it  if  he  would.  Then  he  said  that  he  desired  the  Mormon 
Elders  to  get  together,  and  make  a  declaration  of  what 
they  would  preach  and  how  far  they  would  obey  the  laws. 
I  replied  that  that  was  just  what  we  wished  to  do,  but  if  he 
refused  us  the  privilege  of  going  to  Tubuoi  we  did  not 
know  when  we  could  get  together.  Said  he,  ,;You  had 
better  write  to  your  friends  at  Tubuoi,  and  have  them  come 
here.  Your  faces  are  strange  to  me,  and  you  are  from  a 
foreign  country.   We  have  no  proof  that  you  are  good  men. 


164  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

The  doctrine  you  preach  is  new  to  me  and  if  you  will 
gather  all  your  white  brethren,  and  make  a  declaration  of 
the  doctrine  you  preach,  and  how  far  vou  will  obey  the 
laws  of  the  land,  signing  your  names  to  it,  then,  if  I  accept 
of  it  as  being  good  doctrine,  you  will  have  liberty  to  go 
anywhere  you  wish,  and  have  our  protection."  My  answer 
was  that  we  had  no  objection  to  acquainting  him  with  our 
doctrine.  I  asked  him  if  he  made  the  same  requirement  of 
other  denominations  that  he  did  of  us,  and  received  the 
information  that  he  did  not.  Upon  this,  I  inquired  why  he 
made  it  of  us,  and  he  stated  that  there  had  been  some  diffi- 
culty already  with  B.  F.  Grouard.  "Well,"  said  I.  "did  you 
not  acquit  Grouard?"  "Yes,"  he  said,  "but  we  would  like 
to  look  further  into  the  matter,  and  if  possible  prevent 
further  trouble."  They  had  lost  two  good  seamen  going 
after  Grouard,  and  one  fell  overboard  on  the  return  trip, 
but  they  succeeded  in  rescuing  him. 

When  I  found  that  I  could  not  prevail  on  the  governor 
to  allow  us  our  liberty,  I  left  and  visited  the  captain  of  the 
Lurutu.  With  him  1  boarded  his  novel  vessel.  It  was  of 
very  frail  construction;  all  the  stays  and  braces  were  made 
by  hand  from  the  bark  of  a  tree  called  by  the  natives  burson, 
and  resembling  somewhat  the  basswood  of  the  Eastern  and 
Middle  States.  The  captain  said  he  sailed  by  the  sun  by 
day,  and  at  night  by  the  moon  and  stars,  but  in  cloudy 
weather  by  instinct,  or  guess.  I  asked  if  they  did  not  get 
lost  sometimes;  he  said  no,  they  were  well  acquainted  with 
the  sea.  They  had  been  three  years  in  building  the  schooner. 
It  would  carry  about  forty  tons.  The  crew  conveyed  the 
products  of  their  island  three  hundred  and  sixty  miles  to 
Tahiti  principally,  but  occasionally  to  other  islands.  To 
me  the  vessel  appeared  a  frail  craft,  and  wholly  without 
comforts,  for  white  men  at  least. 

Having  satisfied  my  curiosity  about  the  strange  craft, 
I  returned  to  Huaua  on  August  11,  and  reported  results  to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  165 

President  Pratt,  who  wrote  immediately  to  the  different 
Elders  to  come  and  sign  with  us  the  document  the  gover- 
nor had  suggested.  The  mails  were  so  irregular  and 
uncertain  that  we  had  not  the  remotest  idea  when  our 
release  would  come,  for  if  ever  our  letters  were  received 
by  the  Eiders,  it  might  be  three  or  even  six  months  before 
they  could  get  a  passage  to  Tahiti.  Thus  the  reader  can 
see  that  we  were  doomed  to  tarry  almost  as  prisoners  in 
the  little  valley  of  Huaua.  which  was  only  about  eighty 
rods  wide  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  length,  being 
bounded  on  the  south  by  high,  steep  mountains,  that  were 
almost  impossible  to  cross,  at  least  by  a  white  man  not 
accustomed  to  climbing  them;  and  on  the  northeast  the 
open  sea  rolled  and  surged  upon  the  rocks  and  the  sandy 
beach,  to  within  fifteen  rods  of  where  we  slept,  our  heads 
being  not  more  than  ten  feet  above  high  water  mark.  This 
was  not  all;  for  the  Protestant  ministers  were  very  bitter 
against  us,  and  so  prejudiced  that  it  was  useless  for  us  to 
try  to  enlighten  them  in  regard  to  ourselves  or  oar  faith. 
They  seemed  to  spare  no  pains  in  spreading  their  venom 
among  the  people,  and  in  every  way  possible  intimidated 
the  natives  so  that  our  friends  were  but  few,  though  our 
enemies  had  no  power  over  them.  With  the  aid  of  a  book, 
however,  we  could  improve  in  the  language,  and  did  so  to 
the  extent  that  when  we  had  been  there  five  months  the 
natives  who  were  not  of  us  said,  "Surely  the  Lord  is  with 
the  Mormons,  for  in  five  months  they  speak  our  language 
better  than  other  foreigners  do  in  five  years.  No  one  can 
learn  our  language  like  the  Mormon  Elders  unless  the  Lord 
helps  them."  Thus  encouraged,  we  bore  our  imprison- 
ment the  best  we  could. 


l66  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

VISIT  TO  PAPEETE—  DUCK-HUNTING  TRIP— A  PECULIAR  WOMAN— ALONG 
A  PERILOUS  PATH— AN  OPINION  OF  ENGLISH  MINISTERS— ARRIVAL 
OF  ELDER  S.  A.  DUNN— LEARN  OF  MORE  MISSIONARIES  ARRIVING 
\  T  TUBUOI— NEWS  PROM  MI  FATHER  AND  OTHERS— LETTERS 
FROM  THi:  FIRST  PRESIDENCY  AM)  SOME  OF  THE  APOSTLE! — 
WRITTEN  STATEMENT  SENT  TO  THE  GOVERNOR  OF  TAHITI— 
VISIT  THE  GOVERNOR— OUR  STATEMENT  REJECTED— LIST  OF 
QUESTIONS  AMI  STATEMENT  PRESENTED  BY  THE  GOVERNOR- 
REPLY  OF  ELDER  A.  PRATT— OBJECTIONS  BY  THE  GOVERNOR- 
PERMISSION  GIVEN   US  TO  TRAVEL  AND  PREACH  ON  THE  ISLANDS 

ON  September  5th,  1850,  I  met  with  the  opportunity  of 
going  to  Papeete  in  a  boat  that  was  passing.  My 
friends  took  me  out  in  a  canoe  to  the  larger  vessel.  I  was 
very  seasick.  The  wind  was  so  high  that  in  two  hours  we 
were  in  Taunoa,  where  we  stayed  over  night.  On  the  6th 
we  got  to  Papeete,  where  I  received  a  letter  from  B.  F. 
Grouard.  I  answered  it  the  same  day.  We  found  friends 
who  treated  us  very  kindly;  then  returned  to  our  lonely 
retreat,  traveling  through  a  heavy  rainstorm  all  the  way. 
We  continued  our  studies  without  anything  to  vary 
the  monotony  until  October  2nd,  when  President  Pratt 
and  Hamatua,  and  three  children  from  the  latter's  fam- 
ily, took  their  blankets  and  went  into  the  mountains  for 
a  change,  while  I  made  a  visit  to  my  friend  Pohe  to  get  my 
books,  which  had  been  left  with  him.  When  I  returned  I 
continued  my  studies  alone  until  Brother  Pratt  and  party  came 
back;  then,  on  September  15th,  I  went  to  Papeno,  duck- 
hunting.  As  Sister  Hamatua  had  some  relatives  there,  she 
and  her  stepdaughter  accompanied  me,  thinking  that  my 
stay  would  be  made  more  pleasant.  Sister  Hamatua  was 
between   fifty   and   sixty    years  of  age,  was  well  versed  in 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  167 

the  scriptures,  and  as  true  to  her  religion  as  anyone  I  have 
ever  met.  She  had  never  had  any  children  of  her  own, 
and  yet  she  had  taken  three  young  babes,  from  their  birth, 
and  nursed  them  at  her  own  breast,  and  gave  them  suck 
and  reared  them.  I  think  one  mother  had  died  at  her 
child's  birth,  and  with  another  child  the  young  mother  had 
cast  it  away  to  die,  as  it  was  illegitimate,  and  she  denied  its 
being  her  child.  The  third  had  been  promised  to  Sister 
Hamatua  before  its  birth,  and  at  that  time  she  claimed  it 
and  took  it  home  the  same  hour.  I  saw  the  children,  and 
the  natives  bore  witness  to  the  truth  of  the  narrative  here 
given.  The  youngest  child  was  princess  of  Tubuoi,  her 
name  was  Aura,  and  at  the  time  I  write  of  she  was  a  bright 
girl  of  eight  years. 

We  went  on  our  journey  to  Papeno,  passing  down 
along  the  cliffs  of  rock  and  precipitous  and  deep,  dark 
caverns  that  were  almost  impassable.  The  shrieking  and 
howling  of  the  wind  as  it  was  forced  up  through  the  crev- 
ices in  the  rocks  by  the  surging  waves  from  the  open  sea, 
combined  with  the  dangers  of  the  route,  had  such  an  effect 
on  my  nerves  that  I  have  never  desired  a  repetition  of  the 
hazardous  trip,  though  I  traveled  many  times  on  the 
Brom  (state  road),  parallel  with  the  perilous  path.  I  had 
no  desire  to  pass  over  or  even  to  think  of  the  jeopardy  we 
were  in  on  that  terrible  trail.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  we 
reached  our  journey's  end  in  safety,  and  stayed  with  the 
governor  of  the  village,  who  treated  us  very  kindly.  We 
returned  next  day,  the  16th  of  September.  On  our  way 
we  saw  a  ship  heading  for  Papeete.  This  gave  us  hope 
that  we  would  get  some  news  from  the  outer  world. 

September  22nd.  Pipitila  and  I  started  for  Papeete, 
thinking  we  would  meet  with  the  Elders,  or  at  least  get 
some  word  from  them.  All  that  we  could  learn  was  that 
they  were  expected  in  Tubuoi  instead  of  in  Tahiti.  We 
stayed  in  Taunaa,  where  we  met  with  friends  who  treated 


l68  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

us  well.  One  old  man  said  that  he  had  become  tired  of 
the  English  ministers,  for  they  preached  one  thing  and  did 
the  opposite.  Said  he,  "I  have  been  a  fool  that  has  no 
eyes  all  my  life.  I  have  belonged  to  the  Protestant  church 
ever  since  it  has  been  here,  and  still  I  am  like  a  fool,  for  I 
am  black  or  dark  in  my  heart.  I  have  tried  ever  since  the 
missionaries  came  to  get  light.  They  came  and  went  back 
and  died,  and  still  I  am  a  fool,  and  darkness  fills  my  soul,  for 
I  never  learned  before  that  Christ  was  baptized.  You  have 
given  me  the  first  light  that  I  have  ever  had  on  the  Gospel." 
We  returned  to  our  home  on  September  25th  and  found 
all  well.  On  October  3rd  friends  from  Tiara  came  to  visit 
us.  and  for  a  time  broke  the  monotony  of  our  island-prison 
life. 

Nothing  out  of  the  usual  happened  till  November  6th, 
when  I  was  ready  to  start  on  a  trip  of  inquiry.  A  little 
girl  came  in  and  said  there  was  an  old  white  man  out  at  the 
creek,  and  that  he  was  asking  for  Brother  Pratt.  In  a  few 
minutes  Brother  S.  A.  Dunn  came  in,  and  to  our  great  sur- 
prise and  joy  he  brought  word  that  Brother  Pratt's  family 
and  a  company  of  Elders  had  arrived  at  Tubuoi,  all  well. 
He  had  letters  for  us,  too.  I  received  one  from  my  father 
— the  first  word  that  I  had  had  since  1847.  I  also  had  a 
letter  from  my  old  friend  and  comrade,  Jonathan  C.  Holmes, 
stating  that  my  Uncle  Alexander  Stephens  had  been 
wounded  in  a  battle  with  the  Ute  Indians  in  Utah  County, 
but  that  he  was  getting  around  again  very  well. 

Brother  Pratt  received  letters  from  the  First  Presidency 
of  the  Church,  also  from  Apostles  Amasa  M.  Lyman  and 
Charles  C.  Rich,  all  bringing  good  news  and  words  of 
encouragement  to  us.  Elder  Dunn  told  us  that  he  had 
called  on  Governor  Bonard,  who  seemed  very  pleasant  and 
who  told  him  that  as  soon  as  we  would  get  together  and 
make  a  statement  of  what  we  would  preach,  and  signed 
the  same,   we   would   have  liberty  to  go  where  we  chose, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 69 

and   should    have    the    protection    of    the   French   govern- 
ment. 

November  8th   we   wrote  as  follows  to   the  governor: 

•'Whereas,  we.  the  undersigned,  have  been  requested 
by  his  excellency,  Governor  Bonard,  of  Tahiti,  to  make  a 
statement  of  the  intentions  of  our  mission  to  the  Society 
Islands,  in  compliance  therewith  we  proceed  to  give  the 
following: 

"ist.  To  preach  the  everlasting  Gospel,  which  brings 
life  and  salvation  to  the  children  of  men.  kFor  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  for  it  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth.  to  the  Jew  first, 
and  also  to  the  Greek.' — (Romans  i :   16.) 

"2nd.  To  teach  the  people  by  precept  and  by  example 
the  habits  of  virtue  and  industry,  which  are  so  desirable  to 
the  happiness  and  prosperity  of  civilized  life. 

"3rd.  To  observe  and  keep  the  laws  of  every  land 
wherein  we  dwell,  so  far  as  it  is  required  of  preachers  of 
the  Gospel  in  Christian  countries;  and  to  teach  and  admon- 
ish the  people  to  observe  and  keep  the  laws  of  the  land. 

"Huaua,  Tahiti,  November  8,  1850. 

"[Signed]   Addison  Pratt, 

"Simeon   A.  Dunn, 
"James  S.  Brown." 

We  started  on  November  10th  to  see  the  governor 
and  present  to  him  the  foregoing.  Traveling  on  foot,  we 
went  to  Papeno,  where  we  were  very  kindly  received  by 
the  governor,  at  whose  house  we  stopped  over  night. 
Many  of  his  friends  called  to  see  and  greet  us.  On  the 
nth  we  proceeded  to  Papeete,  arriving  there  in  time  to 
pass  the  guard  and  be  ushered  into  the  governor's  office, 
where  we  were  received  very  coldly.  The  governor  was 
engaged  talking  with  two  officers.  We  stood  until  ob- 
served, from  a  side  room,  by  a  French  officer,  who  invited 
us  (speaking  in  English)  to  come  in  and  be  seated;  he  then 
11 


I70  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

called  an  interpreter.  When  the  latter  came  he  looked 
over  the  article  that  we  had  presented,  and  rejected  it. 
Then  he  produced  one  which  the  governor  had  had  drawn 
up,  and  which  he  read  as  follows: 

"On  my  arrival  at  Tahiti,  two  or  three  persons  styled 
Mormon  missionaries  were  residing  either  at  Tubuoi  or  at 
the  Pamutus.  As  they  were  already  there,  I  thought  it 
proper  to  allow  them  to  remain,  considering  the  small  num- 
ber of  persons  forming  they  mission,  upon  conditions,  how- 
ever, that  they  attended  strictly  to  the  laws  which  govern 
the  lands  of  the  protectorate,  not  interfering  in  any  way 
with  politics  or  civil  matters,  but  solely  religious,  with 
which  I  have  no  intention  whatever  to  interfere. 

"Now  that  a  large  number  of  persons  attached  to  the 
Mormon  mission  request  permission  to  reside  at  the  Society 
Islands,  tending  to  create  a  sort  of  church  government  em- 
bracing all  the  lands  of  the  protectorate  of  France,  to  create, 
it  might  be  said,  a  new  existence  in  the  population  of  the 
islands,  it  is  now  my  duty  to  interfere. 

"I  requested  to  be  informed  as  to  what  are  the  means 
of  the  Mormons  for  their  living. 

"1st.  From  whence  the  society  of  Mormon  mission- 
aries derive  the  power  of  forming  themselves  into  a  body? 

"2nd.  What  are  the  forms  of  government  and  the 
discipline  which  govern  this  society? 

"3rd.  What  guarantee  of  morality  and  good  conduct 
do  they  require  from  members  appointed  as  missionaries 
for  the  foreigners? 

"4th.  What  guarantee  do  they  require  before  con- 
ferring grades  and  offices  on  natives? 

"5th.  What  duty  do  they  require  either  from  foreign- 
ers or  from  native  members,  not  including  religious  dogmas, 
with  which  I  shall  not  interfere? 

•'6th.  What  number  of  religious  services  do  they  hold 
weekly  or  monthly: 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  171 

"7th.     Finally,  what  morals  do  the  Mormons  preach? 

••These  questions  put,  and  satisfactorily  answered. 
This  is  what  it  is  my  duty  to  make  known  to  the  Mormon 
missionaries:  As  men,,  they,  as  all  foreigners,  are  permitted 
to  reside  in  the  islands  of  the  protectorate,  and  have  a  right 
to  French  protection  by  conforming  themselves  to  the  laws 
of  the  country;  as  missionaries,  with  an  open  pulpit  which 
might  consequently  give  them  great  influence  over  the 
population,  and  create,  as  it  were,  a  new  power,  it  is  my 
duty  to  impose  conditions  that  they  guarantee,  consequently: 

"ist.  The  Mormon  missionaries  shall  bind  themselves  to 
preach  their  religion  without  interfering  in  any  way  or 
under  any  pretext  with  politics  or  civil  matters. 

"2nd.  They  shall  withhold  from  speaking  from  the 
pulpit  against  the  religion  established  in  the  islands  of  the 
protectorate,  or  the  laws  and  the  acts  emanating  from  the 
authorities. 

"3rd.  They  shall  not  exact  from  the  inhabitants  of 
the  islands  of  the  protectorate  any  tax,  either  in  money, 
labor,  provisions  or  material. 

"4th.  They  shall  not  inflict  penalties  upon  any  one, 
either  in  money,  labor,  provisions,  or  material,  for  failing 
to  comply  with  the  rules  of  the  religion  they  preach. 

"5th.  They  cannot  acquire  land  in  the  name  of  the 
society,  without  the  approbation  of  the  protectorate  govern- 
ment. 

"6th.  No  person  can  be  allowed  to  unite  himself  with 
them,  as  a  Mormon  missionary,  in  the  Society  Islands, 
before  having  signed  that  he  adheres  to  the  present  declara- 
tion, and  whenever  proof  might  be  made  of  guilt  of  an 
infringement  of  these  articles,  it  would  occasion  his  exclu- 
sion from  the  islands  of  the  protectorate. 

"The  persons  calling  themselves  Mormon  missionaries, 
and  who  sent  a  delegate  to  me  whom  I  could  not  recognize 


172  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

officially,  are  hereby  informed  that  before  I  can  authorize 
them  as  a  society  they  must  reply  categorically  to  the  ques- 
tions which  I  have  put  to  them;  that  until  then  their  resi- 
dence is  illegal,  and  I  refuse,  as  it  is  my  duty  to  do,  all 
authorization  to  the  Mormon  missionaries  to  take  up  their 
residence.  Moreover,  it  is  my  duty  to  inform  them  that 
when  they  are  constituted  a  society  no  meetings,  except  on 
days  regularly  known  as  days  of  prayer  and  preaching. 
can  be  held  without  the  permission  of  the  authorities,  on 
pain  of  being  prosecuted  according  to  law." 

When  this  long  and  proscriptive  roll  had  been  read 
and  strongly  emphasized,  we  were  handed  a  copy,  and  the 
interpreter  said  we  could  make  such  answers  as  we  saw 
fit.  At  this  we  went  to  a  quiet  place,  and  on  November 
1 2th  President  Pratt  wrote  out  the  following  reply: 

uAs  it  has  been  requested  by  his  excellency,  the 
governor  of  Tahiti,  to  give  answer  to  certain  questions  that 
he  has  propounded  to  us,  we  herein  comply: 

"1st.  First,  as  it  is  declared  in  the  New  Testament  of 
our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ,  that  they  that  preach  the 
Gospel  shall  live  off  the  Gospel,  we  are  sent  forth  by  the 
authority  of  the  Church  to  which  we  belong  with  expecta- 
tion that  those  to  whom  we  preach  will  contribute  to  our 
necessities,  so  far  as  life  and  health  are  concerned,  of  their 
own  free  will.  Second,  we  have  no  authority  from  those 
who  sent  us  to  the  islands  to  form  ourselves  into  a  body 
compact,  either  civil  or  religious,  nor  have  we  any  intention 
of  so  doing.  Third,  the  reason  of  our  going  to  Tubuoi  is 
this:  I,  Addison  Pratt,  arrived  at  Tubuoi  in  the  year  1844, 
in  the  capacity  of  a  missionary  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  I  remained  there  in  that  capacity  about  nineteen 
months,  and  when  I  was  about  to  leave  there  I  was  invited, 
by  the  authorities  of  the  island  then  in  power,  to  return  to 
them  with  my  family,  and  reside  with  them  as  their 
preacher.     They  wished  also  to   be   instructed   in   the   arts 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 73 

and  sciences  of  civilized  life.  After  I  left  Tubuoi,  I  went 
to  Anaa,  to  assist  Mr.  Grouard  in  his  missionary  labors, 
having  been  sent  for  by  request  of  the  people  living  there.  I 
remained  at  Anaa  about  nine  months,  and  while  there  a 
general  conference  was  held,  by  the  people  we  had  bap- 
tized, on  the  6th  of  October,  1S46.  At  that  meeting  a 
request  was  made  by  the  people  of  whom  Aniipa  was 
head,  to  send  by  me  to  our  Church,  in  North  America,  for 
more  missionaries  to  assist  Mr.  Grouard  and  myself,  as  the 
Gospel  had  spread  in  several  islands  of  that  group.  The 
company  that  has  arrived  at  Tubuoi  are  the  missionaries 
who  have  been  sent  for,  as  I  returned  to  North  America 
in  the  year  1847  and  laid  the  minutes  of  the  conference 
held  at  Anaa,  and  the  request  of  the  people  of  Tubuoi, 
before  the  Church.  A  part  of  that  company  now  at 
Tubuoi  are  preachers  of  the  Gospel,  and  a  part  of  them  are 
mechanics  and  husbandmen;  they  have  brought  with  them 
tools  and  seeds  for  carrying  out  the  object  for  which  they 
were  sent. 

•■2nd.  The  forms  of  government  by  which  the  society 
is  governed  are  those  set  forth  by  Jesus  Christ  and  His 
Apostles,  as  laid  down  in  the  New  Testament,  to  which  we 
have  referred. 

"3rd.  We  request  them  to  be  strictly  virtuous  in  every 
sense  of  the  word,  observing  and  keeping  the  laws  of  the 
land  wherein  they  dwell,  and  teaching  the   people  so  to  do. 

"4th.  We  request  of  them  all  that  is  contained  in  the 
articles. 

'•5th.  We  request  of  them  what  is  contained  in  the 
third  article  and  nothing  more. 

•;6th.  We  have  no  stated  times  for  religious  services 
except  upon  the  Sabbath;  we  hold  semi-annual  conferences. 
Besides  these,  we  are  subject  to  the  will  of  the  people. 

"7th.    We  preach  to  and  admonish  the  people  to  keep 


174  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

all  the  commandments  of  God,  and  strictly  obey  the  laws 
of  the  land  wherein  they  dwell." 

Our  answer  was  signed  by  Addison  Pratt,  Simeon  A. 
Dunn  and  James  S.  Brown,  and  was  presented  to  his  excel- 
lency, who  objected  to  the  first  statement,  about  our  means 
of  support.  He  said  he  wished  men  to  get  a  living  in  a 
more  honorable  way  than  that.  The  second  paragraph  he 
did  not  like.  He  seemed  to  dislike  scripture  references. 
We  told  him  we  had  been  reared  to  work,  that  we  still  ex- 
pected to  labor  for  our  living,  and  that  a  part  of  our  people 
had  come  to  work  and  a  part  to  preach  the  Gospel. 

After  he  had  interrogated  us  to  his  satisfaction,  and 
placed  about  us  all  the  restrictions  that  seemed  possible, 
the  governor  told  us  that  if  we  would  go  with  Mr.  Dugard, 
one  of  his  officers,  he  would  give  us  permits  to  reside 
among  the  islands  of  the  protectorate,  after  we  had  signed 
the  articles  he  presented  to  us. 

As  we  left  the  governor's  presence,  Mr.  Dugard  told 
us  that,  as  it  was  getting  rather  late,  we  had  better  call  at 
his  office  the  next  morning  at  8  o'clock,  and  he  would  at- 
tend to  our  case.  We  complied  with  his  suggestion  but 
did  not  find  him  at  home.  The  lady  of  the  house  told  us  to 
call  at  2  o'clock  and  he  would  be  there.  In  a  short  time 
we  met  the  interpreter  who  advised  us  to  call  at  n  o'clock, 
which  we  did,  finding  the  official  ready  to  wait  on  us,  as  we 
supposed;  but  instead,  he  directed  us  to  go  to  a  certain 
notary  public,  who  would  give  us  our  permits.  We  did  as 
intructed  and  obtained  the  documents,  paying  three  francs 
each.  Thus  we  were  permitted  to  go  as  ministers  of  the 
Gospel  among  the  islands  of  the  French  protectorate. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 75 


CHAPTER     XXIII. 

RETURN  TO  HUAUA— HEAVY  RAINSTORMS— REFU8AL  OF  AN  OFFER  TO 
BE  CARRIED  OVER  A  STREAM— PERILOUS  SWIMMING  FEAT— EPI- 
SODE WITH  A  WELD  BOAR— START  ON  A  TRIP  AROUND  THE  [SLAND 
—OBTAIN  A  LOAF  OF  BREAD— PEOPLE  NOT  DESIROUS  OF  LISTEN- 
ING To  THE  MoRMON  ELDERS-CUSTOMS  OF  THE  NATIVE! — REPU- 
TATION OF  PROTESTANT  CLERGY  ON  TAHITI— WITH  THE  CHIEF 
MAGISTRATE  OF  UAIRAI— ACROSS  A  SMALL  BAY  IN  A  CANOE— 
FRENCH  GARRISON  AT  THE  ISTIIMI^— WITH  MY  FRIEND  POHE— 
REVIEW  of  a  HARD  JOURNEY— AGAIN  AT  HUAUA. 

AS  there  were  no  vessels  bound  for  where  we  wished 
to  go  at  this  time,  on  November  13th  we  started  on 
our  return  from  Papeete  to  Huaua,  but  it  rained  so  hard 
that  we  had  to  seek  shelter  after  traveling  six  miles.  We 
came  to  a  creek  about  two  rods  across,  and  began  to  take 
off  our  shoes  preparatory  to  wading  it.  Just  then  a 
sprightly  little  woman  came  along  and  told  us  she  would 
carry  us  across  on  her  back.  She  said,  "There  are  little 
sharp  shells  and  rocks  that  will  cut  your  feet,  and  they  will 
not  hurt  mine,  for  I  am  used  to  them.  My  feet  are  tough, 
but  you  are  not  used  to  going  barefoot  like  us,  and  your 
feet  are  tender.  I  will  gladly  carry  you  over  free  rather 
than  see  you  cut  your  feet."  She  plead  with  such  earnest- 
ness and  so  innocently  that  it  became  almost  a  temptation, 
especially  as  she  would  have  considered  it  a  great  honor 
to  carry  the  servants  of  God,  as  she  was  pleased  to  call  us. 
Said  she,  "You  need  not  be  afraid  that  I  will  fall  down  with 
you;  I  can  carry  you  with  ease."  When  her  very  kind 
offer  was  declined,  she  seemed  very  much  disappointed. 
We  tried  to  console  her  by  telling  her  how  greatly  we 
appreciated  her  kindness,   then  proceeded  on  our   way,  but 


176  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

owing  to  the  heavy  rain  soon  called  at  a  native's  house, 
where  we  were  pleasantly  entertained.  He  spread  the  best 
food  he  had.  This  was  put  on  the  bed.  He  also  asked  us 
to  take  seats  on  the  bed,  offering  as  an  excuse,  "The  fleas 
are  so  bad  we  have  to  get  up  there  to  be  out  of  the  way,  or 
they  will  get  in  the  food." 

We  accepted  the  situation  with  thanks,  and  felt  that 
we  were  right  royally  treated.  The  people  from  around 
flocked  in  until  the  house  was  so  thoroughly  packed  with 
humanity  that  the  fleas  had  a  fine  opportunity  to  gorge 
themselves.  The  people  did  not  seem  to  be  much  annoyed 
by  them,  but  talked  and  sang  till  1*,  o'clock,  when  we 
turned  in  for  the  remainder  of  the  night,  concluding  that 
the  fleas  had  been  so  feasted  that  they  were  willing  to  let 
us  slumber  in  peace,  which  we  did. 

November  14th  we  resumed  our  journey,  only  to  be 
driven  in  by  the  rain,  but  not  until  we  were  thoroughly 
drenched.  Having  met  with  our  old  and  well  tried  friend, 
Hamatua,  when  the  storm  subsided  we  continued  our  jour- 
ney to  Papeno.  A  call  was  made  on  the  governor  of  that 
district,  who  told  us  that  the  river  was  so  swollen  that  it 
was  not  safe  for  white  men  to  attempt  to  cross.  He  said 
the  natives  could  go  over  safely,  but  we  could  not  do  so, 
and  told  the  party  they  were  welcome  to  stay  with  him  all 
night.  The  writer  thought  that  if  a  native  could  cross  the 
river  he  could,  so  he  prepared  for  the  attempt.  The  stream 
was  about  fifteen  rods  wide.  The  governor,  himself  a  very 
large  and  powerful  man,  said,  "If  you  go  I  will  go  with  and 
assist  you,  for  you  cannot  cross  there  alone.  Two  natives 
have  been  swept  down  to  the  sea  and  drowned.  If  I  go 
with  you  we  can  cross  safely,  but  I  am  afraid  to  have  you 
go  alone."  At  that  both  of  us  got  ready  to  cross.  He 
took  hold  of  my  right  arm  close  to  the  shoulder.  We 
waded  in  till  the  swift  current  took  our  feet  from  under  us, 
then  we  swam  with  all  our   power,  and   finally   gained  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  177 

opposite  shore  by  swimming  three  times  the  width  of  the 
river.  The  governor  could  have  turned  and  swam  back 
again  without  any  trouble,  but  I  had  quite  enough  to  satisfy 
mv  conceit,  and  ever  since  have  been  willing  to  acknowl- 
edge that  a  native  can  beat  me  in  the  water. 

Brothers  Pratt  and  Dunn  were  well  satisfied  to  wait 
for  the  water  to  fall  before  they  tried  to  cross,  and  by  late 
in  the  evening  the  stream  was  down  so  that  they  came  over 
with  comparative  ease.  We  stayed  with  some  very  good 
friends,  and  on  the  15th  of  November  reached  home.  All 
were  well.  Things  went  on  as  usual  until  the  28th,  when 
the  natives  came  running  and  said  a  wild  hog  had  come 
down  from  the  mountains  and  was  at  the  next  door  neigh- 
bor's, with  his  tame  hogs.  The  people  wished  us  to  come 
with  bubus  (guns)  and  shoot  him.  On  a  previous  occasion, 
before  I  could  understand  the  natives,  a  wild  hog  had  come 
down  and  was  with  the  hogs  of  our  host.  There  was 
great  excitement  among  the  natives,  so  Brother  Pratt 
hastened  and  got  his  shotgun,  and  went  out  and  killed  the 
hog.  He  told  me  to  hold  on  with  my  gun,  and  would  not 
let  me  know  what  the  excitement  was  until  it  was  over. 
Now.  the  natives  shouted  that  Prita's  (Pratt's)  gun  was  the 
strong  one,  that  he  was  the  brave  hunter  and  knew  how  to 
shoot,  but  that  my  weapon  was  too  small  a  bore — -it  could 
not  kill  if  I  hit  the  hog.  But  on  this  occasion  I  outdis- 
tanced the  old  gentleman  with  my  small-bore  rifle.  I  shot 
the  hog  just  behind  the  shoulder;  it  ran  a  few  jumps  and  fell 
in  the  thick  brake.  As  the  animal  was  out  of  sight,  and 
the  natives  could  not  see  any  evidence  of  its  having  been 
hit,  they  blamed  me  for  not  letting  Brother  Pratt  get  there 
first,  saying  he  would  have  killed  the  hog  and  we  would 
have  had  something  to  eat.  Brother  Pratt  good  naturedly 
joined  in  with  them;  they  looked  disappointed,  and  tried  to 
laugh  me  to  shame,  but  in  the  height  of  their  ridiculing  me 
a  lad  who   had   followed   the   track  a   rod  or  two   into  the 


178  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

brake  shrieked  out  in  terror:  uHere  is  the  hog,  dead!  I 
was  near  stepping  on  him  before  I  saw  him!"  The  laugh 
was  turned. 

The  hog  was  soon  dressed,  and  the  natives  had  to  ex- 
amine my  gun.  They  concluded  that  both  Brother  Pratt 
and  I  were  good  gunners,  and  had  good  weapons.  The 
hog  was  a  boar,  a  year  and  a  half  old  or  more,  and  if  it  had 
been  fat  would  have  dressed  two  hundred  pounds.  All 
were  well  pleased  for  it  was  a  time  of  scarcity  of  food. 

On  December  2nd  Brother  Dunn  and  I  started  to  go 
around  Tahiti  on  foot,  passing  by  Papeete.  Hametua 
Yaheni,  John  Layton's  wife,  and  the  two  small  girls  of  the 
house,  went  with  us  to  Papeete.  We  stayed  at  Faripo  the 
first  night,  with  Noiini,  who  was  very  kind  to  us.  Next 
morning  we  proceeded  on  our  way  to  Hapape,  where  we 
stopped  at  the  house  of  Teahi,  a  relative  of  Hametua 
Vaheni.  There  we  took  breakfast,  and  continued  our 
journey  to  Taunoa.  where  we  remained  over  night  with 
Tamari.  There  we  left  our  baggage  while  we  went  on  to 
Papeete  to  see  what  news  we  could  get.  We  spent  most 
of  the  day  to  no  purpose,  returning  to  where  we  had 
stayed  the  night  before. 

Next  morning,  the  4th,  we  started  without  breakfast. 
On  the  way  we  purchased  a  loaf  of  bread — a  rare  treat  to 
us,  as  we  had  not  even  seen  bread  for  several  days.  We 
ate  it  as  we  walked  along,  stopping  at  a  small  brook  to  get 
a  drink.  At  Wamau,  a  man  invited  us  into  his  house.  As 
it  had  begun  to  rain  we  accepted  his  kind  offer  with  thank- 
fulness. Upon  entering  the  house  we  were  requested  to  take 
a  seat  upon  the  bed.  Some  very  fine  oranges  were  set  be- 
fore us,  and  soon  the  house  was  filled  with  young  people 
mostly,  who  seemed  very  desirous  of  learning  who  we  were, 
where  we  were  from,  and  what  our  business  was.  We 
told  them,  and  they  appeared  to  be  very  much  disappointed. 
We  soon  found  that  tney  had  no  use  for  us,  so  we  went  on 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    |AIVJES    S.    BROWN.  1 79 

our  way  and  soon  came  to  a  cemetery  in  which  was  a  large 
monument  of  masonry  with  an  iron  cross  on  it.  At  one 
grave  there  was  a  candle  burning.  We  were  told  by  some 
of  the  people  that  in  the  time  of  the  war  a  great  battle 
had  been  fought  there  between  the  natives  and  the  French, 
and  that  the  monument  had  been  built  in  honor  of  a  great 
French  general  who  had  fallen. 

From  there  we  passed  on  through  a  large  cocoanut 
grove,  and  in  a  short  time  came  to  a  small  village  called 
Tapuna.  We  turned  into  a  house  and  not  finding  anyone 
at  home,  sat  down  for  a  rest.  In  a  little  while  we  were 
discovered  by  some  of  the  villagers,  who  invited  us  in,  and 
as  is  usual  among  that  people,  inquired  of  us,  saying,  ;iWho 
are  you,  where  do  you  come  from,  where  are  you  going, 
and  what  is  your  business  here  in  our  land?"  When  we 
informed  them  that  we  were  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  they 
were  very  much  pleased,  but  when  we  told  them  that  our 
Church  was  called  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints,  commonly  known  as  the  Mormon  Church,  they 
almost  invariably  showed  signs  of  disappointment,  and 
seemed  to  have  less  interest  in  us.  Still  there  were  some 
in  almost  every  village  who  were  kind  enough  to  keep  us 
over  night,  give  us  the  very  best  they  had,  and  often  go 
with  us  a  little  way  on  our  journey  the  next  day.  They 
never  failed  to  have  a  hymn  sung,  and  often  a  chapter  from 
the  Bible  read,  and  would  call  on  us  to  offer  prayer.  Then 
the  eldest  of  the  young  men  who  had  called  in — sometimes 
there  were  ten  or  fifteen — would  shake  hands  with  us,  fol- 
lowed by  all  the  rest,  apparently  according  to  age-  The 
young  women  then  would  do  likewise,  observing  the  same 
rule,  after  which  the  older  people  would  follow,  the  women 
coming  first  in  this  case,  such  being  their  custom. 

Before  we  left  Tapuna,  one  man  desired  us  to  visit  his 
mother,  who  was  sick  with  consumption.  We  complied 
with  this  wish,  but  found  that   she  had  no  faith  in   the  Gos- 


l8o  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

pel.  From  there  we  passed  on  to  an  English  missionary's 
home,  the  headquarters  of  one  Mr.  Chisholm.  He  was  not 
in.  so  we  passed  on  to  the  next  house,  where,  accord- 
ing to  what  the  people  said,  a  very  dissipated  missionary 
had  lived,  and  the  other  had  come  to  take  his  place.  We 
were  told  that  the  newcomer  was  no  better  than  the  old 
one,  for  both  were  drunken  and  lustful  and  behaved  very 
badly  with  the  women.  Such  was  the  general  reputation, 
among  the   natives,  of   the   Protestant  clergy  at  that  date. 

We  went  on  till  we  were  called  into  a  house  where 
the  people  said  they  wished  to  know  what  we  had  to  say 
of  religion.  As  soon  as  they  learned  that  we  differed  from 
their  views  they  displayed  no  further  concern  in  us, 
and  we  departed.  After  wading  many  streams,  and  get- 
ting very  tired  and  hungry,  we  reached  a  village  called 
Uairai,  where  we  were  invited  in  to  have  a  meal.  We  had 
been  indoors  but  a  few  minutes  when  the  people  of  the 
village  came  running  in  as  if  to  a  dog  fight  or  a  monkey 
show;  for  it  was  rarely  they  saw  two  white  men  traveling 
as  we  were,  they  being  accustomed  to  seeing  the  mission- 
ary in  a  hammock  carried  by  four  stout  men. 

When  we  had  been  there  a  short  time  two  men  came 
in  with  a  message  from  the  governor  or  chief  magistrate 
of  the  village,  desiring  us  to  call  at  his  residence.  As  soon 
as  we  had  partaken  of  refreshments  we  complied  writh  the 
request,  the  whole  assemblage  of  people  following  us. 
We  found  his  honor  holding  some  kind  of  meeting  with 
the  more  aged  people,  the  exact  nature  of  which  we  did 
not  learn.  He  invited  us  in,  gave  us  seats,  and  shook 
hands  with  us  very  warmly.  He  then  stood  before  us  and 
said,  "Who  are  you,  where  do  you  come  from,  what  is  your 
business  here,  and  where  are  you  going?"  We  answered 
that  we  were  ministers  of  the  true  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  were  traveling  to  preach  to  all  people  that  were  willing 
or  wished  to  hear   the   Gospel  of    salvation.     "Well,"  he 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 01 

said,  "that  is  what  we  want  here,  but  I  must  see  the  French 
governor  and  our  ministers  before  I  can  give  permission 
for  any  one  to  preach." 

When  the  meeting  was  over  he  came  to  us  again  and 
said  he  would  be  pleased  to  have  us  stop  over  night  with 
him.  We  accepted  his  kind  invitation  to  visit  his  house, 
and  all  the  congregation  followed,  for  a  time  seeming  very 
desirous  of  learning  from  us  the  true  Gospel.  We  con- 
versed with  them  quite  awhile  and  there  was  not  one  to 
oppose  us,  but  all  seemed'  very  well  pleased  with  what  we 
had  to  say. 

Supper  over,  we  returned  to  the  house  of  Miapui, 
where  we  had  left  our  valises,  and  where  we  spent  the 
night,  being  well  treated  by  our  host  and  by  all  who  called 
on  us. 

Next  morning  our  host  accompanied  us  on  our  way 
until  we  met  his  brother,  whom  he  instructed  to  see  us 
across  a  small  bay  that  extended  up  to  the  base  of  the 
mountain,  which  was  so  steep  that  we  could  not  go  around 
its  head.  We  were  taken  across  in  a  canoe,  paying  a  dol- 
lar and  a  half.  The  man  said  the  use  of  the  canoe  cost  him 
that  amount,  but  he  would  take  nothing  for  his  services. 
He  then  conducted  us  through  a  thick  forest  of  timber  and 
underbrush  to  the  Brom  (state)  road. 

We  next  proceed  to  the  isthmus,  to  a  French  fort  gar- 
risoned by  one  company  of  soldiers.  The  isthmus  is  about 
one  and  a  half  miles  across.  From  there  we  turned  to  the 
northwest,  towards  Huaua.  as  it  was  too  rough,  steep  and 
dangerous  to  proceed  closely  along  the  coast.  We  traveled 
homeward  till  i  o'clock  p.  m.,  when  we  came  to  a  little 
hamlet  called  Otufai.  There  we  met  a  man  named  Aili, 
who  invited  us  to  dinner.  We  accepted  his  courtesy  and 
while  there  the  school-teacher  called  and  asked  us  to  go 
home  with  him.  We  also  availed  ourselves  of  this  kind 
invitation,  finding   the  teacher,  whose    name  was  Tuamau, 


l82  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

very  friendly.  We  spent  the  night  with  him,  being  treated 
well,  but  he  did  not  evince  much  interest  in  what  we  had 
to  say  on  religious  matters. 

The  following  morning  it  was  raining  very  hard,  and 
for  a  time  it  seemed  that  we  were  weatherbound ;  but 
breakfast  over,  it  cleared  off,  and  we  proceeded  on  our  way 
to  Hitia,  where  we  stopped  at  the  house  of  Fenuas  and  got 
dinner.  Then  we  went  on  to  Tiara  and  visited  with  our 
friend  Pohe  (in  English,  dead),  or,  as  he  was  sometimes 
called,  Mahena  Toru  (third  day).  He  made  us  feel  very 
much  at  home.  This  we  were  in  a  condition  to  fully  appre- 
ciate, for  we  had  traveled  on  foot  in  the  hot  sands  and  sun 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  until  we  felt  that  we 
were  almost  parboiled.  We  had  waded  many  streams  of 
water,  which,  though  very  disagreeable,  helped  to  make  our 
journey  more  tolerable,  through  being  cooling.  The  sharp 
rocks  and  shells  in  the  water  courses  made  us  pay  penance 
instead  of  pennies  for  crossing  them.  Sometimes  the 
streams  were  so  swollen  and  ran  so  swiftly  as  to  be  very 
dangerous,  because  the  crossings  were  so  near  the  sea  that 
if  a  man  were  to  lose  his  footing  he  was  liable  to  be  carried 
into  the  billows,  from  whence  it  would  be  almost  if  not 
quite  impossible  to  escape. 

On  the  9th  of  December  we  passed  down  three  miles 
to  Huaua,  where  we  found  all  our  friends  well,  and  some 
prospects  of  getting  an  opening  to  preach. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY     OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  183 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

3CARCITY  OF  FOOD— TRAVELING  IN  HEAVY  RAINS— CALL  ON  A  PROT- 
ECTANT minister;—  arrival  of  another  MISSIONARY  AM) 
LETTERS  FROM  HOME— VISITOES  FROM  METIA— HOLD  A  SAC- 
RAMENT MEETING— GO  TO  PAPARA— ABUSED  RY  THE  PROTES- 
TANT MINISTER—  PREACH  TO  THE  PEOPLE  —  YOUNG  WOMAN 
MIRA<  DLOUSLX  HEALED  AT  BAPTISM— GREAT  EXCITEMENT- 
RAGE  OF  THE  PROTESTANT  MINISTERS— PERSECUTION  INSTI- 
TUTED— ARRESTE1 )  FOB  PREACHING— RELEASED  ON  PROMISING 
TO  RETURN  TO  HUAUA— PLENTY  OF  FRIENDS— UNINTENTIONAL 
ESCAPE  FROM  GEN  D'  ARMES- ARRIVAL  AT  PAPEETE— CHARGE 
ON  WHICH  OFFICERS  SEEK  TO  ARREST  ME— ABUSED  BY  REV. 
MR.  IK>WE-A  QUIET  AN8WEF.  CALLS  OUT  CHEEK'S  FROM  THE 
CROWD— TDDE  TURNS  IN"  MY  FAVOR— EXCITEMENT  CALMS  DOWN, 
AND  EFFORTS  TO  ARREST  ME   CEASE, 

ON  the  16th  of  December  I  set  out  from  Huaua  on  a 
short  journey  to  a  small  hamlet  called  Tapuna. 
Everywhere  I  went  the  people  were  complaining  of  the 
great  scarcity  of  food;  still  they  managed  to  furnish  me 
with  plenty,  treating  me  very  hospitably.  About  the  20th 
I  returned  to  Huaua  and  preached  to  the  people.  On  the 
29th  and  30th  I  attended  to  my  correspondence. 

January  1,  185 1,  I  started  for  Tarepu,  finding  the  roads 
quite  muddy.  It  rained  heavily,  so  that  all  the  streams  were 
so  swollen  as  to  make  my  journey  very  hard  and  tiresome. 
The  majority  of  the  people  were  rather  surly  and  indiffer- 
ent, so  much  so  as  not  to  invite  me  in  out  of  the  storm,  so 
I  had  to  pass  along  to  where  I  found  more  hospitality.  The 
trip  altogether  was  a  hard  and  ungrateful  one.  I  had  to 
swim  some  of  the  watercourses,  and  barely  escaped  being 
carried  into  the  sea.  I  got  everything  I  had  with  me,  even 
to  my  watch,  thoroughly  soaked.  Then  I  sought  a  place 
sheltered  from  the  view  of  the   passers-by,  and  there  dried 


184  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER, 

my  clothes.  As  I  was  alone  almost  all  the  time  on  this  tripr 
I  felt  it  to  be  long  and  tedious,  without  any  profitable  re- 
sults, as  far  as  I  could  see.  Yet  I  remembered  that  my 
experience  was  that  of  a  fisherman;  and  as  my  calling  was 
to  fish  for  men  I  did  not  complain,  but  continued  my  jour- 
ney to  Hitia.  There  I  called  on  one  Mr.  Baff,  a  Protes- 
tant minister.  I  left  a  copy  of  the  Voice  of  Warning  for 
him  to  read.  When  he  returned  it  he  sent  a  note  thanking 
me  for  the  privilege  of  perusing  it,  but  he  did  not  express 
an  opinion  of  the  work.  I  never  had  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing the  gentleman  again. 

Having  been  informed  that  Elders  Pratt  and  Dunn  had 
an  opportunity  of  going  to  Tubuoi.  I  hastened  back  to 
Huaua,  to  find  that  they  had  not  yet  engaged  their  pass- 
age. After  resting  two  or  three  days.  Brother  Pratt  sent 
me  down  to  Papeete  to  secure  passage  for  them  on  Captain 
Johnson's  schooner,  which  was  expected  to  sail  in  a  few 
days.  I  met  Mr.  Johnson,  with  whom  I  made  a  contract, 
and  returned  next  day.  Then,  on  January  13th,  all  hands 
went  down  to  Papeete.  We  found  that  Brother  John  Lay- 
ton  had  come  from  California,  and  brought  letters  for  us 
from  the  Elders  who  had  been  sent  to  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

Mail  matters  considered  and  answers  written,  the  pro- 
gram was  changed  so  that  Elder  Dunn  did  not  go  to  Tubuoi, 
and  as  Brother  Pratt  had  to  wait  a  few  days  before  he  could 
start,  part  of  the  native  family  that  had  accompanied  us  re- 
mained to  see  him  off,  while  the  others  returned  with  Brother 
Dunn  and  I  to  lonely  Huaua.  In  the  meantime  we  learned 
that  Priest  John  Hawkins  was  expected  down  from  Anaa 
in  a  few  days,  when  Brother  Dunn  was  to  return  with  him 
to  Anaa. 

When  we  were  at  Huaua  without  Brother  Pratt,  the 
place  seemed  doubly  lonesome.  On  January  30th,  I  went 
to  Papeete  and  learned  that  Brother  Hawkins  had  arrived 
with  some  native   brethren   from   Metia,   and  that   all   had 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  185 

started  in  their  canoes  for  Huaua.  to  which  place  I  repaired 
the  next  day.  All  were  well.  The  native  brethren  went 
back  to  Papeete,  and  Brother  Hawkins  and  wife  stayed  at 
Huaua  a  day  or  two;  then  he  also  went  down,  returning  to 
us  in  eight  or  ten  days,  accompanied  by  Elder  Joseph  Bus- 
by, from  Tubuoi.  The  latter  said  that  he  had  started  for 
home,  if  it  was  agreeable  to  the  brethren.  He  told  us  that 
it  would  be  two  months  before  the  brethren  would  come 
with  their  new  schooner,  which  they  were  building. 

March  2nd,  all  hands  went  to  Taunua,  to  a  sacrament 
meeting.  We  met  in  a  house  close  down  by  the  beach, 
where  we  saw  the  vessel  that  Brother  Busby  sailed  on  for 
home.  There  were  sixty-seven  brethren  and  sisters  at  the 
meeting,  and  we  had  a  very  good-spirited  time.  We  re- 
turned to  Huaua;  and  it  was  on  March  12th,  when,  in  corn- 
pan}'  with  our  old,  faithful  friend  and  brother,  Hamatua,  and 
family.  I  set  sail  in  a  whaleboat  for  Papara.  We  had  a  fine 
breeze  till  we  came  to  a  hamlet  called  Otura,  where  we 
stayed  one  night  and  were  well  cared  for  by  our  host,  a 
brother  in  the  Church.  On  the  13th  we  continued  our  voy- 
age by  sea.  having  to  row  most  of  the  time,  for  there  was 
no  wind.  We  reached  our  destination,  Papara,  on  the  14th, 
and  stopped  at  the  house  of  Purua,  a  brother  of  Hamatua, 
who  had  died,  and  his  widow  had  sent  for  Hamatua  to  come 
and  move  her  and  her  family  to  his  home.  We  found  our 
friends  here  very  kind,  and  well  pleased  to  meet  us. 

While  at  Papara,  many  people  came  in  to  see  us.  These 
manifested  a  desire  to  know  who  I  was,  and  my  business 
there,  but  showed  great  reluctance  in  shaking  hands  with 
me.  I  learned  that  the  cause  of  this  diffidence  was  that  they 
were  afraid  of  the  Protestant  ministers.  For  a  while  they 
kept  very  shy  of  me.  I  called  on  their  minister,  Mr.  Chis- 
holm,  and  presented  him  with  a  Voice  of  Warning,  which 
I  asked  him  to  read;  but  when  I  held  it  out  to  him  he  said  no, 
he  would  not  read  it  or  anything  the  Mormons  had;  "but," 
12 


l86  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

said  he,  "I  want  to  exhort  you,  and  show  you  that  you  are 
deluded."  I  asked  what  he  knew  about  our  Church  to 
cause  him  to  be  so  excited.  He  said  he  had  had  a  letter 
from  Simeon  A.  Dunn,  one  of  our  Elders,  and  that  public 
opinion  was  enough  to  satisfy  him  that  we  were  false  teach- 
ers and  deceivers  of  the  people.  At  that  he  called  one  Mr. 
Davis  from  a  side  room.  The  latter  was  totally  blind,  and 
had  spent  most  of  his  life  on  the  islands.  Both  of  them  re- 
viled at  me,  and  rehearsed  many  of  the  old  slanders  about 
Joseph  Smith  and  the  Mormons.  I  left  them  in  disgust,  re- 
turning to  my  friends,  where  I  found  many  people  congre- 
gated.   These  were  quite  sociable. 

Soon  a  messenger  came  from  the  minister  and  asked 
what  kind  of  baptism  we  believed  in.  When  I  said  that  we 
believed  in  immersion,  that  seemed  to  please  the  people 
very  much,  as  I  turned  to  the  third  chapter  of  Matthew  and 
showed  them  that  Christ  was  baptized  in  that  manner.  From 
that  time  the  house  was  thronged  with  people  anxiously  in- 
quiring for  the  doctrines  we  taught. 

On  March  16th  I  was  sent  for  by  a  sick  man,  who 
wanted  to  be  anointed.  When  I  told  him  about  the  order 
of  the  Church,  and  that  he  should  repent  and  be  baptized 
for  the  remission  of  his  sins,  and  thus  become  entitled  to  the 
blessings  of  the  Gospel,  he  said  that  it  was  of  no  use  to  him 
for  he  was  a  great  sinner  and  could  not  repent  in  one  day. 
Then  he  said,  "I  shall  have  to  remain  sick."  He  had  his 
own  way  to  look  at  things,  and  as  we  were  unable  to  con- 
vince him  otherwise,  we  returned  to  our  stopping  place. 

Shortly  after  this  I  was  called  to  see  a  young  woman 
who  had  been  under  medical  treatment  by  the  Protestant 
ministers  for  four  months.  Her  name  was  Maui.  She 
had  been  reduced  to  a  mere  skeleton,  and  was  unable  to 
stand  alone.  When  I  came,  she  said  she  had  heard  of  the 
doctrine  that  I  had  preached  to  the  people,  and  knew  it  was 
true,  "for,"  said  she,  "it  is  all  in  the  Bible."     She   was   the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  1 87 

foremost  scholar  of  the  district,  and  was  highly  respected 
by  the  ministers  as  well  as  by  the  whole  people.  When  it 
became  known  that  I  had  been  called  to  see  her,  it  aroused 
an  excitement,  and  many  people  came  together,  insomuch 
that  the  house  could  not  hold  them  all.  As  I  talked  with  her 
on  the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel,  she  would  say,  "Yes, 
that  is  so,  for  it  is  in  the  Bible;*'  and  she  said,  "I  am  willing 
to  be  baptized  now,  for  I  know  that  what  you  tell  me  is  the 
truth."  I  asked  the  consent  of  her  parents  and  of  her  young 
husband,  who  readily  acceded  to  her  desire.  Then  I  told 
them  that  if  they  would  take  her  to  a  suitable  place  by  the 
creek,  I  would  meet  them  there  and  attend  to  the  baptiz- 
ing. Accordingly,  they  carried  her  to  the  creek,  some  ten 
or  twelve  rods  away,  where  I  met  them,  prepared  for  the 
work.  There  were  probably  one  hundred  people  assembled. 
After  singing  and  prayer.  I  went  into  the  water  and  the 
friends  of  the  young  woman  helped  her  to  me,  I  having  to 
aid  in  holding  her  on  her  feet  while  I  said  the  baptismal 
ceremony.  When  she  came  up  out  of  the  water  she  thanked 
God.  saying,  "I  am  healed  of  the  Lord,"  and  walked  out  of 
the  water  and  home  without  assistance,  although  her  friends 
offered  aid.  This  excited  the  people  so  much  that  some  of 
the  young  woman's  particular  friends  prepared  to  come  into 
the  water  of  baptism,  but  the  older  ones  prevailed  on  them 
to  wait  a  while,  saying  maybe  they  would  all  go  together. 

When  I  had  changed  my  clothing  and  had  gone  to 
where  the  new  convert  was,  I  found  her  sitting  on  the  bed 
and  praising  God,  bearing  her  testimony  that  she  was  healed 
of  the  Lord,  and  that  we  had  the  true  Gospel.  The  baptism 
of  this  young  woman  was  the  first  that  I  had  administered, 
she  being  my  first  convert.  The  house  where  we  had  as- 
sembled was  crowded  to  overflowing,  and  when  I  had  con- 
firmed her  I  returned  to  my  stopping  place,  the  people  fol- 
lowing me.  There  must  have  been  at  least  three  hundred 
of  them.     Several  brought  bedding  and  camped  under  the 


1 88  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

trees  around  the  house,  while  others  were  preparing  a  feast 
for  the  occasion,  in  which  they  roasted  eleven  big  hogs,  and 
gathered  fish,  fruit  and  vegetables  for  the  roast. 

This  was  too  much  for  the  Protestant  ministers,  for, 
as  I  was  sitting  at  a  table  expounding  the  scriptures  to  the 
people,  in  came  a  lusty  Frenchman  in  citizen's  clothes.  He 
took  a  seat  among  the  people  for  a  short  time,  then  slipped 
away  and  donned  his  police  uniform,  with  belt,  sword  and 
pistol;  then,  with  a  comrade  similarly  attired,  he  reappeared 
at  the  door  and  asked  me  if  I  had  a  permit  from  the  gover- 
nor. I  told  him  I  had  one  at  home,  but  not  with  me.  At 
that  he,  in  a  rather  rough  tone  of  voice,  bade  me  follow 
them.  Without  hesitation  I  did  so,  and  about  a  hundred  of 
the  people  came  after  us  to  the  mission  station,  wmere  I  was 
ushered  into  the  presence  of  Messrs.  Chisholm,  Howe  and 
Davis.  All  of  them  were  what  were  called  English  or  Prot- 
estant missionaries.  Mr.  Howe  acted  as  chief  spokesman 
or  prosecutor,  while  Mr.  Chisholm  filled  the  role  of  justice, 
Mr.  Davis  appearing  to  be  his  assistant.  Thus  arrayed, 
they  told  me  that  I  had  been  arrested  and  brought  before 
them  because  1  had  raised  a  very  unusual  excitement  among 
the  people,  and  I  could  not  produce  a  permit  from  the  gov- 
ernment as  a  resident  on  the  island.  They  said  I  was  cap- 
able of  making  much  disturbance  among  the  people,  and 
the  decision  they  had  come  to  was  that  if  I  would  not  agree 
to  leave  the  place  by  8  a.  m.  next  day  I  would  be  locked 
up  in  a  dungeon  until  I  did  agree  to  leave. 

Of  course  I  consented  to  depart  at  the  appointed  time, 
thinking  I  could  get  my  permit  and  return  in  a  few  days 
Then  they  told  me  I  was  at  liberty,  but  they  did  not  release 
me  until  they  had  scored  me  unmercifully  with  their  tongues 
for  belonging  to  such  a  set  of  impostors  as  ''Old  Joe  Smith 
and  the  Mormons"  were.  Said  Mr.  Chisholm,  "You  are 
a  fine  young  man,  capable  of  doing  much  good  if  you  had 
not  been  deceived  by  that  impostor,  Old  Joe  Smith."    They 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  189 

told  me  to  cease  my  preaching  and  deceiving  the  people, 
and  that  I  had  better  go  home.  At  that  I  pocketed  their 
insults  and  left  them.  Many  of  the  people  followed  me  to 
my  stopping  place,  some  of  them  shouting  triumphantly  for 
the  young  Mormon  missionary,  and  calling  shame  on  the 
English  ministers. 

A  house  full  ot  people  had  assembled,  and  we  sat  up 
till  a  late  hour  that  night  talking  on  the  principles  of  the 
Gospel.  Early  next  morning  our  boat  was  filled  with  the 
family  and  provisions,  and  we  sailed  at  8  o'clock.  I  put  on 
a  fisherman's  suit  and  took  the  helm,  facing  outward  from 
the  shore.  I  did  not  have  any  particular  object  in  view  at 
the  time  in  doing  this,  yet  it  seemed  to  serve  a  purpose,  for 
we  had  sailed  but  a  few  miles  when  we  saw  two  mounted 
gen  d'  armes  come  out  of  the  woods  to  the  sandy  beach, 
where  they  stopped  and  watched  our  boat  till  they  seemed 
satisfied  there  was  no  missionary  on  board,  and  passed  on. 
Then  it  occurred  to  us  that  if  I  had  not  been  in  the  unin- 
tentional disguise  they  would  have  stopped  our  boat  and 
arrested  me,  for  they  were  well  armed,  and  could  have 
reached  us  easily  with  their  firearms.  As  we  afterwards 
learned,  they  passed  on  to  where  we  had  come  from  and 
made  a  thorough  search  for  me,  going  through  houses, 
turning  up  the  beds,  and  scouring  the  coffee  groves  and 
every  place  the  supposed  MormOn  missionary  could  have 
hidden.  Then  they  and  the  Protestant  missionaries  called 
a  meeting  of  the  people  and  thoroughly  warned  them  against 
the  Mormons,  and  especially  against  young  Iatobo  (James), 
as  they  called  me.  At  this  mass  meeting  Mr.  Baff.  one  of 
the  oldest  of  the  English  missionaries,  appeared  with  the 
others  I  have  mentioned. 

There  was  another  incident  that  seemed  to  be  very 
providential,  though  disagreeable  at  the  time.  The  wind 
died  away  to  a  perfect  calm,  and  when  we  came  to  an 
opening  in  the  outlying  coral  reef,  we  thought   that  by  go- 


I9O  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

ing  out  through  the  opening  we  might  catch  a  breeze,  and 
could  hoist  the  sail  and  make  better  headway;  so  we 
steered  for  the  open  sea.  There  we  found  that  we  had  to 
row  all  day  before  we  could  get  back  within  the  reef.  Thus 
we  were  carried  so  far  from  the  land  that  passers-by  could 
not  discern  who  we  were,  and  we  were  kept  from  the  gen 
d'  amies  till  sundown.  Then  we  landed  away  from  the 
thoroughfare,  in  heavy  timber.  In  that  way  we  escaped 
our  enemies,  for  next  morning  we  were  off  and  out  in  the 
open  sea  soon  after  sunrise.  We  rowed  all  day  and  till 
11  o'clock  p.  m.,  then  landed  in  an  obcsure  place,  and  were 
up  and  off  again  by  sunrise,  putting  out  to  sea  and  keeping 
there  till  we  reached  the  western  passage  to  the  harbor  of 
Papeete.  There  we  went  ashore  near  a  large  American 
tile  establishment's  wholesale  and  retail  department.  Just 
in  front  of  this  lay  a  large  American  warship.  The  water 
was  very  deep,  so  that  the  vessel  was  moored  to  the  shore, 
the  gangway  resting  upon  the  street,  where  a  great  many 
people  had  gathered. 

As  soon  as  we  landed  I  stepped  into  the  retail  depart- 
ment referred  to,  on  some  little  errand.  In  a  couple  of  min- 
utes or  so  I  was  confronted  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Howe,  who 
has  been  mentioned  before.  He  was  a  fine-looking  Eng- 
lish gentleman  of  thirty-five  or  forty  years  of  age.  He 
came  up  and  shook  hands  with  me.  saying,  "Mr.  Brown, 
are  you  aware  that  the  gen  d'  armes  are  in  search  of  you? 
You  must  have  been  in  hiding  somewhere.  They  have 
searched  Papara  for  you,  and  now  are  searching  this  town, 
and  there  is  great  excitement  over  your  actions.  You  had 
better  be  cautious  what  you  are  about."  I  could  not  under- 
stand at  first  what  he  meant,  so  I  asked  him  what  I  had 
done  to  create  such  a  great  excitement  as  to  have  the 
police  hunting  for  me.  I  said  I  had  not  been  in  hiding  at 
all,  had  not  thought  of  such  a  thing.  He  replied,  "Why, 
sir,  you  have  gone  and  plunged  a  young  lady  head  and  ears 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  I9I 

into  the  cold  water,  and  we  have  had  her  under  medical 
treatment  for  four  months,  and  expected  her  to  die.  Now 
you  have  endangered  her  life  by  plunging  her  into  cold 
water.  She  is  one  of  the  most  talented  and  smartest  women 
of  this  island.  We  have  taken  great  pains  to  educate  her, 
and  she  is  widely  known  and  respected  by  everyone  who 
knows  her." 

'•Well,"  said  I,  "what  harm  have  I  done?  She  was 
healed  of  her  sickness,  as  she  and  her  mother  testified  to 
me  before  I  left,  and  every  person  who  was  present  can  bear 
witness  of  the  same." 

'•Ah,  well,"  said  he,  "you  have  such  a  tierce  counte- 
nance and  expressive  voice  as  to  excite  a  person  under  the 
most  excruciating  pain  until  they  would  not  realize  they 
had  any  suffering  at  all.  She  may  relapse  and  die,  then 
you  will  have  grave  responsibilities  to  meet  for  your  un- 
warranted act."  He  continued  talking,  turning  to  intimida- 
tion and  abusive  language  until  he  said  it  was  a  great  pity 
that  one  of  my  natural  endowments  lacked  in  educational 
attainments,  for  if  I  had  been  taught  in  Greek  or  Latin  I 
would  have  understood  that  baptism  was  baftiso  in  Latin, 
and  meant  merely  the  application  of  water,  and  not  to 
plunge  people  head  and  ears  in  the  shameful  and  ridiculous 
manner  that  he  said  I  had  done. 

By  this  time  we  were  talking  so  very  loud  as  to  attract 
the  attention  of  all  around.  Finally  Mr.  Howe  said,  "Do 
you  teach  the  people  that  baptism  is  essential  to  the  salva- 
tion of  man  or  the  soul?"  I  told  him  I  did.  "Then,"  said 
he,  "you  teach  a  lie,  and  I  will  follow  you  up  and  tell  the 
people  that  you  are  a  liar  and  teach  false  doctrine."  As 
my  calling  as  a  missionary  would  not  admit  of  a  violent  re- 
taliation, I  merely  said  to  him  that  in  my  country  that 
would  be  very  ungentlemanly  language  for  one  minister  to 
use   towards   another,   but   I  supposed  it   was  some  of  the 


I92  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Greek  and  Latin  that  he  had  been  learned  in.  Then  I 
turned  away  from  him. 

My  action  brought  a  tremendous  cheer  from  the 
Americans  on  board  the  warship,  and  from  all  who  under- 
stood the  conversation.  The  people  assembled  hurrahed 
for  the  Mormon  boy.  At  that  my  antagonist  turned  very 
red  in  the  face.  Some  of  the  natives  ran  up  to  him,  point- 
ing their  fingers  at  him,  and  shouting,  "Look  how  red  his 
nose  is!  The  Mormon  boy  has  whipped  him!"  They 
rushed  around  me  to  shake  hands,  and  seemed  as  if  they 
would  carry  me  on  their  shoulders.  It  should  be  understood 
that  we  talked  partly  in  English  and  partly  in  Tahitian,  so 
that  all  could  understand  in  a  general  way  what  we  said, 
for  we  had  grown  very  earnest  if  not  heated  in  our  discus- 
sion. 

Soon  after  this  I  went  up  through  the  town  and  there 
learned  from  several  people  that  there  had  been  much  ex- 
citement over  my  having  baptized  the  sick  young  lady,  and 
that  the  police  had  searched  the  place  over  for  me.  I 
realized  then  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  calm  weather 
we  had  had  at  sea  we  would  have  got  into  town  just  ai  the 
height  of  the  excitement,  and  I  would  have  been  locked 
in  prison.  So,  thanks  for  the  calm,  although  when  we  were 
in  it  we  wished  for  wind  that  we  might  make  better  head- 
way; but  that  delay  gave  time  for  reflection,  and  for  the 
news  of  the  young  lady's  convalescence  to  reach  Papeete, 
so  that  I  could  pass  on  my  way  without  further  insult. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  I93 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

SEVERAL  BAPTISMS— VISIT  PAPARA  AGAIN— COLDNESS  OF  THE  PEOPLE— 
BITTER  EFFORTS  OF  THE  PROTESTANT  MINISTERS— NATTS  ES  VISIT 
ME  EN  SECRET— ANTI-MORMON  MASS  MEETING— FOOLISH  AND 
VICIOUS  SCHEME  TO  ENSNARE  THE  WRITER— IT  IS  EASILY  DE- 
FEATED—RETURN TO  PAPEETE— MORE  BAPTISM! — DEPARTURE  OF 
ELDER  DUNN— I  AM  LEFT  ALONE— BRETHREN  COME  FROM  TUBUOI 
—ELDERS  APPOINTED  TO  LABOR  IN  DIFFLUENT  ISLANDS-THE 
WRITES  ASSIGNED  TO  THE  TUAMOTC  GROUP— LEAVE  ON  THE 
ELDERS'  SCHOONER,  THE  BAVAJ  OB  FISHER— MEET  WITH  CON- 
TRARY WINDS— DRIVEN  TO  VARIOUS  [SLANDS— ENCOUNTEB  A  VIO- 
LENT STORM— IN  GREAT  PERIL— VESSEL  BEYOND  CONTROL- 
STORM  CALMS  DOWN— REACH  TUBUOI— FD2ST  PREACHING  OF  THE 
GOSPEL  Til  ERF,  IN  1S44. 

WE  reached  our  home  at  Huaua  on  the  20th  of 
March,  and  found  all  well.  On  the  23rd  I  baptized 
Tereino  and  Maioa,  and  on  the  24th  Brother  Dunn  baptized 
two  other  persons  besides  Brother  Hamatua  and  two  of  his 
children.  Then  I  sailed  for  Papara,  after  providing  myself 
with  the  permit  that  I  lacked  on  our  previous  visit.  We 
stopped  at  Taunua  the  first  night,  the  25th,  having  had  to 
row  all  the  way. 

On  the  26th  we  reached  Papara,  where  the  people 
acted  very  coolly  towards  us.  There  was  one  friend,  how- 
ever, who  dared  invite  us  in  and  provide  us  with  food  and 
lodging.  On  inquiry,  we  learned  that  the  young  lady  who 
had  been  ill  and  was  healed  at  her  baptism  was  sound  and 
well,  and  had  been  so  from  the  time  she  was  baptized.  We 
also  learned  that  Messrs.  Howe,  Chisholm,  Baff  and  Davis 
had  called  the  people  together  after  the  baptism,  inquired  of 
them  where  I  was,  had  the  town  searched  for  me,  and  had 
sought  diligently  to  learn  if  I  had  spoken  against  them  or 
against  the  French  government;  but  they  failed  to  learn  any- 


194  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

thing  of  this  kind  on  which  to  base  an  accusation  against  mer 
and  had  to  content  themselves  by  telling  the  people  all  the 
foul  slanders  they  had  heard  against  the  Mormons  andjoseph 
Smith,  and  by  warning  the  people  against  us,  saying  that 
if  they  took  us  in  or  bade  us  Godspeed  they  would  not  be 
permitted  to  partake  of  the  sacrament  in  their  church,  and 
if  they  went  to  hear  us  preach  they  would  be  excommuni- 
cated. They  sent  a  delegation  to  the  young  lady  whom  I 
had  baptized,  to  see  if  she  had  been  healed,  and  through 
being  intimidated  she  said  no.  Her  relatives  had  quarreled 
over  the  matter,  some  being  in  favor  of  her  saying  that  she 
was  not.  while  others  said  that  she  was  healed.  The  re- 
port that  the  delegation  made  to  their  masters,  however, 
was  that  she  said  she  had  not  been  healed;  when  I  went  to 
see  her,  she  ran  out  to  meet  me,  and  told  me  that  she  had 
not  been  sick  one  day  since  she  had  been  baptized. 

By  such  means  as  those  I  have  named,  the  ministers 
sought  to  turn  the  people  against  us,  and  strongly  forbade 
them  to  show  us  any  favors  whatever;  and  when  the 
natives  could  come  secretly  and  talk  with  us  they  would 
explain,  "Now,  if  we  come  openly  and  investigate  your 
doctrine  and  are  not  satisfied  with  it,  then  we  will  be  turned 
out  of  society.  For  that  reason  we  dare  not  receive  you 
or  come  and  talk  openly  with  you.  Our  hearts  are  good 
towards  you,  but  we  are  watched  by  the  police,  so  that  we 
dare  not  be  friendly  with  you  where  we  can  be  seen." 

As  soon  as  the  ministers  learned  that  we  had  returned, 
they  called  another  meeting,  at  which  they  seemed  to  take 
delight  in  abusing  and  vilifying  the  Mormons  in  general 
and  me  in  particular.  When  the  meeting  was  over,  they 
called  two  pretty  young  women,  and  privately  told  them  to 
dress  themselves  as  nicely  as  they  could  and  perfume  them- 
selves and  make  themselves  as  attractive  as  possible,  then 
to  take  their  Bibles  and  hymn  books  and  get  into  conversa- 
tion with  the  Mormon    missionary,  Iatobo   (James).     They 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    |AMES    S.    BROWN.  I95 

were  to  be  very  sociable  and  friendly  to  me.  They  had 
been  told  also  that  they  would  learn  that  the  Mormons  were 
licentious  deceivers,  and  that  my  actions  would  show  that  I 
was  a  licentious  rascal  and  would  lead  them  astray.  Or- 
ders were  also  given  them  that  when  they  had  proved  this 
they  were  to  return  and  report  to  the  ministers.  I  came 
into  possession  of  this  information  regarding  the  scheme 
through  the  spirit  of  discernment,  and  by  the  confession 
of  the  parties  themselves. 

The  young  ladies  came  as  instructed,  and  the  moment 
they  entered  the  door  and  I  inhaled  the  perfumes  I  had  the 
discernment  of  their  mission  and  the  instructions  they  were 
under  from  their  ministers.  Nevertheless  they  were  wel- 
comed in  and  took  seats  just  in  front  of  and  close  to  the 
writer,  on  a  mat.  In  the  blandest  and  most  pleasant  man- 
ner they  began  to  make  scripture  inquiries,  accepting  every 
answer  as  final,  and  assenting  to  all  I  had  to  say.  They  be- 
came more  and  more  sociable  and  bold,  until  at  length  one 
of  them  raised  on  her  knees,  and  placing  her  open  Bible 
upon  the  writer's  knee,  at  the  same  time  looked  him  squarely 
in  the  face  with  her  most  pleasant  smile.  He  at  once  moved 
his  chair  back,  and  said  to  them,  "You  have  not  come  here 
with  the  object  that  you  profess  to  come  with,  but  your 
mission  is  a  deceptive  one,  and  you  have  been  sent  here  by 
your  ministers  to  try  to  deceive  me,  thinking  to  lead  me 
into  lewd  and  wicked  practices  that  I  am  a  stranger  to. 
Now,  if  you  wish  anything  of  that  kind  you  must  return  to 
your  masters  who  sent  you,  and  tell  them  that  if  they  wish 
you  to  be  accommodated  in  that  way,  they  will  have  to  do  it 
themselves,  for  Mormon  Elders  are  not  guilty  of  such  prac- 
tices, though  they  have  proofs  that  the  ministers  are.  And 
I  exhort  you  to  be  ashamed  and  to  repent  of  your  sins,  and 
be  baptized  for  their  remission,  and  you  will  know  that  what 
I  have  told  you  is  true." 

At  this  rebuke,  they  both  confessed  openly  that  every 


I96  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

word  I  had  said  was  true,  and  that  they  had  been  sent  for 
no  other  purpose  than  the  one  I  have  stated.  As  they  had 
come  straight  from  the  minister's  house,  they  wondered  how 
the  writer  could  tell  them  so  directly  what  their  ministers 
had  ordered  them  to  do,  and  how  he  came  to  read  their 
mission  so  accurately.  They  said,  "JVb  te  varua  tera"  (that 
is  of  the  Spirit);  for  no  one  else  could  have  told  him  so  cor- 
rectly. At  that  thev  took  their  leave,  and  I  heard  no  more 
of  them  or  their  mission. 

The  ministers  called  another  meeting  on  March  29th. 
I  attended  that,  and  after  service  asked'permission  to  speak 
a  few  moments.  This  being  granted  by  Mr.  Davis,  I  merely 
gave  notice  that  I  was  a  minister  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  there  on  a  mission  to  teach  the 
true  Gospel,  and  if  any  wished  to  hear  me  I  was  at  their 
service,  if  they  would  permit.  There  was  no  response,  so 
a  hymn  was  sung,  and  the  people  dispersed.  At  night  a 
few  came  to  hear  me,  but  seemed  to  be  under  such  restraint 
that  there  was  no  pleasure  in  talking  to  them. 

We  spent  several  days  at  the  place  without  any  suc- 
cess, owing  to  the  great  prejudice  of  the  people,  and  the 
unwarranted  hatred  of  their  ministers.  Then  we  left  for 
Papeete,  starting  on  April  2nd,  and  arriving  at  our  desti- 
nation at  daylight  on  the  3rd.  Having  had  to  row  all  the 
way,  we  were  very  tired,  so  stopped  to  get  some  needed 
rest.  In  the  evening  we  baptized  one  person,  Maua.  On 
the  6th  we  attended  meeting  with  about  twenty  of  the  Tua- 
motu  Saints,  then  the  boat  and  the  others  of  the  party  went 
home  while  I  tarried  till  the  next  day,  going  home  by  land 
to  Hapape,  where  I  found  a  boat  bound  direct  for  Huaua, 
so  I  took  passage  on  it,  and  was  wafted  there  speedily. 

It  was  on  April  19th  that  I  started  for  Otumaro.  On 
the  2 1st  we  got  to  that  place,  where  I  stayed  while  the 
others  of  the  party  made  a  visit  to  Papara.  On  their  re- 
turn I  joined  them  and  proceeded  to  Papeete,  where  I  left 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  I97 

the  boat  again  and  walked  the  remainder  of  the  journey. 
The  next  day  the  rest  of  the  party  came  up  by  sea;  and 
on   the  29th  we  baptized  three  more  persons. 

While  at  Otumaro,  some  Matia  brethren  came  from 
Hitia  after  a  missionary  or  two.  Matia  is  a  small  island 
about  ninety  miles  north  of  Tahiti.  Brother  Dunn,  being 
very  tired  of  Huaua,  concluded  that  he  would  go  with  them, 
they  taking  his  trunk  and  bedding  on  their  shoulders  and 
marching  off,  apparently  in  triumph.  They  insisted  that 
I  should  go  with  them  as  well,  but  having  been  left  in  charge 
of  the  mission  on  Tahiti,  I  did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  leave, 
as  Brother  Pratt  had  told  me  to  remain  there  until  the  new 
schooner  should  arrive.  Therefore  I  turned  alone  to  my 
missionary  labors.  On  the  29th  I  baptized  Tuane;  and  at 
Huaua  on  May  4th  I  baptized  Tafatua  and  Tafai,  who  had 
been  baptized  by  Brother  Pratt;  they  confessed  that  they 
had  been  led  astray,  but  desired  to  return  to  the  true  fold. 
The  same  day  I  administered  the  sacrament  to  twenty-one 
souls. 

Just  at  dark  on  May  12th,  185 1,  we  heard  a  gun  fired 
at  sea.  We  hastened  to  the  beach,  and,  sure  enough,  it 
was  our  long-looked-for  brethren  on  their  new  schooner, 
which  was  named  the  Ravai  (Fisher.)  Brother  John  Haw- 
kins having  joined  us,  he  and  Hamatua  went  off  in  a  canoe 
to  get  the  news.  They  found  all  well.  Next  day  we  joined 
them  in  the  harbor  of  Papeete,  and  remained  with  them  on 
board  the  schooner  and  wrote  letters. 

On  the  15th  Brothers  Pratt  John  Lay  ton,  Hawkins  and 
the  wives  of  the  last  two,  as  well  as  some  of  the  native 
brethren,  sailed  in  a  whaleboat  for  Huaua,  while  we  stopped 
at  Hapape  and  took  a  nap,  and  at  2  o'clock  a.  m.  started 
back,  reaching  our  destination  at  daylight  on  the  16th. 
We  rested  on  the  17th,  and  on  the  18th,  in  council,  Elders 
Thomas  Whitaker,  Julian  Moses  and  two  native  brethren 
were  appointed  to   labor  as  missionaries  on   Tahiti;  Elders 


I98  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

John  Hawkins,  Alviras  Hanks,  Simeon  A.  Dunn  and  James 
S.  Brown  were  appointed  to  labor  among  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Tuamotu  group  of  islands. 

On  May  19th,  Brothers  Pratt,  Layton  and  Hawkins 
set  out  for  Papeete,  and  at  3.  p.  m.  Brothers  T.  Whitaker 
and  Pohe,  with  their  families,  started  for  Pueu  in  a  boat 
belonging  to  some  of  their  relatives.  On  the  21st.  the 
schooner — the  new  one  built  at  Tubuoi.and  commanded  by 
Benjamin  F.  Grouard — called  with  the  brethren  who  went 
down  the  day  before  on  board.  She  was  bound  for  Anaa, 
two  hundred  and  ten  miles  east,  or  nearly  so.  When  they 
got  opposite  Huaua,  Captain  Grouard  came  ashore  and 
said  they  desired  me  to  accompany  them,  as  they  intended 
to  call  by  Tubuoi  before  returning  to  Tahiti. 

in  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  I  was  ready,  and  we  soon 
boarded  the  little  vessel.  She  was  thirty-five  or  forty  tons 
burden,  had  poor  accommodations  on  board,  and  was  insuf- 
ficiently supplied  with  provisions.  We  started,  but  the 
wind  being  contrary,  we  soon  had  to  change  our  course,  so 
that  on  the  24th  we  sighted  Riroa,  and  on  the  25th  we 
touched  at  Uratua  and  got  some  cocoanuts.  In  consequence 
of  the  strong  current  there,  we  could  not  make  much  head- 
way, but  in  trying  to  beat  around  it  we  sighted  Anutua. 
On  the  next  tack  we  came  to  Aunua.  where  we  went 
ashore  and  found  a  small  branch  of  the  Church.  The 
Saints  were  very  kind  to  us,  showing  every  favor  they 
could,  and  pressing  us  to  allow  one  of  our  number  to  remain 
with  them.  But  it  was  not  considered  proper  to  grant  the 
request,  so  we  held  two  meetings  and  preached  to  them, 
giving  them  all  the  cheer  and  comfort  that  we  could,  and 
then  left.  They  seemed  to  appreciate  our  visit  and  coun- 
sel as  only  Latter-day  Saints  can. 

Again  we  sailed  for  Anaa,  but  the  strong  wind  and 
waves  prevailed  against  us,  so  that  we  were  driven  so  far 
from  our  course  that  we  sighted   Faraua  on  May  31st,  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  I99 

on  June  ist  we  encountered  a  very  heavy  storm,  commenc- 
ing at  5:30  and  continuing  till  up.  m..  when  it  seemed  to 
abate  a  little.  At  7  p.  m.  all  sails  had  been  taken  in  save 
the  foresail,  which  was  close-reefed,  and  as  the  vessel  was 
beyond  our  control,  our  best  seamen  being  willing  to  admit 
that  they  could  do  nothing  for  us,  the  helm  was  lashed 
down,  and  all  hands  went  below.  The  hatch  was  securely 
fastened  down,  leaving  only  two  of  our  best  and  bravest 
men  lashed  on  deck  with  slack  rope.  Everyone  seemed  to 
realize  our  peril,  and  that  we  must  rely  alone  on  the 
Almighty  to  save  us  Trom  destruction.  There  was  land  all 
around,  and  the  wind  and  currents  were  so  strong  that  it 
was  impossible,  with  the  means  at  our  command,  to  direct 
the  course  of  our  little  Fisher.  I  must  leave  the  friendly 
reader  to  draw  his  own  conclusions  as  to  the  condition  we 
were  in.  for  I  have  not  the  ability  to  describe  it.  Suffice  it 
to  say  tha*t  through  the  mercies  of  the  Lord  we  were 
spared  to  find  ourselves  perfectly  landlocked  by  three 
islands,  namely,  Anutua.  Apatai  and  Aunua.  Again  getting 
control  of  the  vessel,  we  put  into  the  harbor  at  Apatai. 
that  being  considered  the  safest  place.  There  we  found 
some  Church  members,  and  were  treated  very  kindly.  We 
remained  there  until  the  6th,  holding  meetings  and  preach- 
ing to  the  people. 

Apatai  is  one  of  the  islands  of  poison  fish,  and  we  felt 
the  effects  of  these  slightly  before  we  left.  We  had  a  fair 
wind  for  Anaa  on  the  6th,  when  we  started,  but  it  soon  died 
away  and  we  were  left  to  drift  w7ith  a  very  strong  current. 
On  the  7th  we  found  ourselves  drifted  down  by  the  side  of 
Anutua.  Having  some  natives  of  that  island  on  board 
they  were  sent  ashore.  Jonathan  Crosby  went  with  them, 
and  returned  with  the  boat.  From  thence  we  had  a  pleas- 
ant voyage  to  Anutua.  There  we  went  ashore  and 
preached  to  the  people.  Brothers  Grouard's  and  Hawkins' 
wives  also  landed. 


200  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER 

We  left  them  on  the  9th.  and  sailed  for  Tubuoi.  Hav- 
ing a  fair  and  strong  wind,  we  were  wafted  to  Matia,  where 
we  left  some  passengers  belonging  to  that  island.  We 
also  took  in  a  small  supply  of  provisions,  as  our  store  was 
very  scanty.  Then  we  continued  towards  Tubuoi,  having 
a  favorable  wind  till  we  got  within  eighty  miles  of  our  des- 
tination. Then  a  strong  headwind  forced  us  to  change  our 
course,  so  that  we  put  into  a  small  island  called  Loivivi. 
This  was  on  the  17th.  The  island  does  not  exceed  four 
miles  in  length  and  two  in  width;  there  were  three  hundred 
and  eighty-three  people  living  on  it.  They  had  the  wildest 
and  fiercest  look  of  any  that  we  had  met  on  our  cruise,  yet 
they  behaved  very  well  to  us.  On  the  18th  we  sailed  again 
for  Tubuoi,  and  on  the  20th  we  cast  anchor  at  that  island, 
which  lies  between  the  twenty-third  and  twenty-fourth  par- 
allels, south  latitude.  It  is  only  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  in 
length,  and  from  a  distance  resembles  the  tops  of  mountains 
in  a  plain.     Its  inhabitants  numbered  four  hundred,  all  told. 

It  was  on  this  island  that  the  Gospel  was  first  preached 
in  this  dispensation,  in  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
This  preaching  was  by  Elder  Addison  Pratt,  July  12,  1844. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Elders  Noah  Rogers  and  B.  F. 
Grouard,  they  having  been  sent  by  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith,  from  Nauvoo,  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  U.  S.  A., 
in  the  year  1843.  Knowlton  Hanks  was  one  of  the  mis- 
sionaries who  left  Nauvoo,  but  he  died  on  the  voyage  from 
Boston  to  Tubuoi,  after  the  vessel  had  rounded  Cape  Horn. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  201 


CHAPTER     XXVI. 

HEARTY  WELCOME  IX  TUBUOI— START  FOR  TUAMOTU— REACH  PAPEETE, 
TAHITI— VISIT  TO  HUAT/A— LEAVE  TAHITI— WRITER  i.KTS  RELIEF 
UK  >M  SEASICKNESS — BB<  HLED  KI>II  AND  COCOANUTS— IX  A  SCHOOL 
OF  WHALE; — THROWX  INTO  A  (ORAL  REEF-TOTAL  WRECK  IMMI- 
NENT—THREE  PERSOXS  GET  A>HORE— BOAT  GOES  OUT  TO  SEA- 
WRECK  OF  ELDER  DUNN'S  I 'ARTY— THREE  DAYS  IX  THE  SEA, 
CLINGING  TOA  CAPSIZED  B  OAT— CLOTHING  TORN  OFF  BY  SHARKS 
—SKIN  TAKEN  OFF  MY  THE  SKA  AND  SUN— BEACH  THE  ISLAXD  OF 
ANAA -RECOGNIZED  BY  AMAN  WHO  HAD  SEEM  ME  IX  A  DREAM- 
PREACHING  AND  BAPTIZING— MANY  OF  THE  NATIVES  CHURCH 
MEMBERS— MAKE  A  BUDE  MAP  OF  THE  CALTFOBNIA  GOLD  FIELDS 
—TELL  OF  HAVING  BEES  IN  THE  MORMON  BATTALION— CATHOLIC 
PRIESTS  ELICIT  THIS  INFORMATION  AS  PAST  OF  A  SCHEME  TO 
HAVE  ME  EXPELLED  FROM  THE  ISLAND. 

WHEN  we  landed  on  Tubuoi  on  May  20th.  we  found 
the  people  feeling  well.  They  were  greatly  pleased 
to  see  us.  and  we  rejoiced  to  meet  with  and  preach  to  them. 
We  traveled  from  village  to  village  preaching,  and  visited 
the  people  from  house  to  house,  being  received  everywhere 
in  the  most  friendly  manner. 

On  July  1st  and  2nd  we  attended  to  correspondence, 
and  on  the  3rd  everything  was  in  readiness  and  we  sailed 
with  a  cargo  of  cattle  for  Tahiti.  Elder  A.  Hanks  and  the 
writer  were  bound  for  the  Tuamotu  group  of  islands.  On 
the  6th,  after  a  pleasant  voyage,  with  the  exception  of  sea- 
sickness, we  landed  at  Papeete,  Tahiti,  all  well. 

Our  captain  said  that  he  would  only  remain  in  harbor 
a  day  or  two,  then  would  sail  for  Anaa.  As  I  desired  to 
visit  the  brethren  at  Huaua,  fifteen  miles  up  the  coast,  I 
started  at  4  p.  m.,  afoot  and  alone,  and  reached  my  destina- 
tion the  same  evening.  I  was  surprised  when  the  whole 
family,  men,  women  and  children,  leaped  from    their  beds 

13 


202  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

and  embraced  me,  and  wept  for  joy.  Some  refreshments 
were  provided,  and  we  then  turned  in  for  the  remainder  of 
the  night. 

I  stayed  there  until  the  8th.  and  met  with  Elders 
Julian  Moses  and  T.  Whitaker.  who  accompanied  me  to 
Papeete,  where  we  arrived  at  i  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  found 
the  vessel  being  prepared  to  sail.  Brother  Hanks  was 
detained  in  getting  his  permit  until  it  was  too  late  to  get 
out  of  the  passage  till  the  9th,  then  the  wind  came  straight 
into  the  passage,  so  that  we  had  to  drop  anchor  till  late  in 
the  afternoon.  We  managed  to  get  clear  that  night,  but 
the  wind  being  contrary  we  did  not  lose  sight  of  land  till 
the  10th;  then  we  had  a  perfect  calm  for  two  days.  Late 
in  the  evening  of  the  12th  we  got  a  light  breeze.  This 
dav  was  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  I  could  say  that  I  was 
well  at  sea.  Never  before  that  evening  had  I  gone  below 
and  enjoyed  a  meal  of  victuals;  but  from  that  time  on  I 
could  take  my  rations  with  the  rest  except  in  a  storm. 

On  July  13th  we  sighted  and  passed  Metia.  ana  sighted 
Tikahau;  the  14th  Matea  was  in  view,  and  we  passed  along 
close  to  the  weather  end  of  Riroa;  the  18th  we  were  near 
Uratua.  There  two  boats  were  let  down,  one  to  pull  up 
through  the  lagoon  of  the  island,  twenty  miles  long,  to 
where  Brother  Hawkins  lived,  and  the  other  to  fish.  About 
11  p.  m.  we  neared  the  village  when  the  natives  came  and 
conducted  us  to  the  place.  They  spread  some  broiled  fish 
and  cocoanuts  before  us;  and  of  course  we  were  thankful 
to  get  that,  for  there  was  no  other  food  on  the  island.  This 
was  all  that  some  of  the  inhabitants  ever  had  to  eat  on  their 
own  island,  save  an  occasional  pig  or  a  chicken.  After  the 
refreshments  we  turned  in  for  the  night. 

Next  morning  we  were  feasted  as  best  the  people 
could  do.  We  preached  to  them,  then  sailed  away;  for 
our  schooner  was  waiting  for  us.  We  next  headed  for 
Riroa,  as  we  could  not  get  a  wind  for  Anaa,  which  we  had 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  203 

been  trying  to  reach  from  the  time  we  left  Tahiti.  On  the 
2 1 st  we  passed  through  a  school  of  whales  to  the  harbor. 
Again  we  encountered  a  strong  current  coming  out  of  the 
passage,  and  a  headwind.  Then,  in  trying  to  beat  up  into 
the  harbor,  our  vessel  failed  to  stay,  and  we  were  driven 
into  the  coral  rock,  which  stood  up  in  the  water  like  tree- 
tops.  Crash  we  went,  and  the  vessel  began  to  quiver  and 
jar.  All  hands  and  the  cook  had  an  awful  scare,  and  for  a 
few  moments  it  looked  as  though  our  vessel  would  be  a 
total  wreck,  and  we  be  all  spilled  into  the  raging  billows, 
among  crags  and  rocks.  But  thanks  to  the  Lord,  this  was 
averted.  Three  of  us  succeeded  in  gaining  the  shore  in 
safety,  and  the  vessel  put  to  sea  for  the  night,  coming  in 
on  the  22nd  to  anchor. 

On  shore  we  were  feasted  on  broiled  fish,  cocoanuts 
and  roast  pig.  The  people  seemed  overjoved  at  our  visit. 
We  called  a  meeting  and  preached  to  them,  encouraging 
them  in  their  religious  duties. 

It  was  while  we  were  on  this  island  that  we  heard  from 
Brothers  Dunn  and  Crosby,  who  were  well.  We  also  heard 
from  Manahuni  and  party,  who  left  Tahiti  at  the  same  time 
that  we  departed  on  our  first  cruise.  They  sailed  for  Anaa, 
in  a  small,  open  boat  called  the  Anaura,  the  same  that 
Brother  Grouard  made  many  trips  in  from  island  to  island, 
and  in  which  he  had  many  narrow  escapes.  But  Manahuni 
and  his  party  of  six  brethren  and  sisters  had  a  much  severer 
experience  than  any  former  party.  Their  boat  capsized  in 
a  heavy  storm,  the  same  that  we  had  been  caught  in  on  our 
former  cruise.  They  lost  everything  save  their  lives,  and 
these  were  preserved  only  by  clinging  to  the  keel  of  the 
boat  for  three  days  and  three  nights.  Finally  the  boat 
righted  itself,  and  they  drifted  to  the  island  of  Tikahau, 
but  not  till  the  last  rag  of  clothing  had  been  torn  from  their 
bodies  by  sharks,  and  much  of  the  skin — all  of  the  cuticle — 
had   sloughed  off  through  their  being  in  the  salt  water  and 


204  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

hot  sun  so  long.  But  their  lives  were  spared  to  them,  and 
they  were  nourished  by  the  kind  people  of  Tikahau,  until 
they  were  able  to  reach  the  island  of  their  destination,  Anaa. 

A  fair  wind  for  Anaa  came  on  July  26th,  so  we  left 
for  that  place.  At  dawn  on  the  28th  we  sighted  the  island, 
and  at  10  o'clock  a.  m.  we  landed  at  Tuuhora.  As  we 
neared  the  shore  I  was  seated  in  the  stern  of  the  boat, 
when  a  man  came  bounding  through  the  water  and  passed 
all  our  party  till  he  came  to  me.  Then  he  reached  out  his 
hand,  which  had  in  it  five  pearls  wrapped  in  a  little  rag, 
and  said,  "Here!  I  have  seen  you  before.  You  have  come  to 
be  our  president,  for  you  have  been  shown  to  me  in  a 
dream.  Welcome,  welcome  to  our  land!"  Just  then  he 
turned  his  back  for  the  writer  to  get  on,  and  in  this  way 
took  me  to  the  shore,  where  the  people  soon  prepared  a 
feast  of  welcome,  as  is  their  custom  when  their  friends 
come  to  see  them.     No  feast,  no  welcome. 

The  feasting  over,  with  Brothers  Hanks  and  Hawkins 
I  visited  the  branches,  the  three  of  us  traveling  together, 
preaching  and  baptizing  the  people,  who  came  forward  in 
large  numbers  to  receive  the  ordinance.  August  5,  1851, 
Brother  Hanks  left  for  Taroa,  and  Brother  Hawkins  for 
Arutua.  I  had  been  appointed  to  preside  on  Anaa,  and 
commenced  my  labors  in  that  duty.  On  the  6th  I  was  in- 
structed, by  Elder  B.  F.  Grouard,  to  travel  and  preach,  to 
reorganize  the  branches  wherever  it  was  necessary,  and  to 
organize  and  teach  schools  as  I  might  find  it  prudent ;  in  fact, 
to  do  all  things  pertaining  to  my  calling  as  a  missionary. 
Thus  I  started  out  alone. 

One  of  the  first  things  I  found  after  I  began  my  labors 
was  that  there  were  four  Catholic  priests  on  the  island, 
building  four  stone  churches;  that  they  had  about  thirty 
natives  employed  on  them,  and  that  no  others  would  attend 
their  religious  services;  it  was  claimed  that  there  were 
about   nine   hundred    persons    belonging    to  the    Mormon 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  205 

Church,  most  of  them  being  members  in  good  standing. 
There  were  no  natives  there  belonging  to  the  Catholic 
church. 

On  one  occasion  soon  after  my  arrival,  I  was  being 
questioned,  in  a  conversation,  about  California  and  the  gold 
fields,  and  also  about  my  birthplace  and  the  city  of  my 
residence.  I  took  a  sheet  of  paper  and  sketched  a  rough 
outline  of  the  gold  fields.  One  of  the  natives  who  appar- 
ently had  been  greatly  interested  in  the  narrative,  asked 
for  the  sketch.  It  being  given  to  him,  he  went  off  and 
soon  returned  with  a  large  sheet  of  drawing  paper,  on 
which  he  requested  me  to  draw  a  map,  on  a  larger  scale, 
showing  my  birthplace,  where  Salt  Lake  City  was  from 
there,  and  the  location  of  the  gold  fields.  Then  the  ques- 
tion was  asked,  how  I  came  to  be  in  California  at  so  early 
a  date.  I  told  them  I  went  there  in  the  Mormon  Battalion, 
in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  during  the  war  with 
Mexico.  Little  did  I  think  I  was  mapping  out  the  outlines 
of  a  foundation  for  a  wicked  and  false  charge  to  be  pre- 
ferred against  me  by  the  Catholic  priest.  Neither  did  I 
have  the  remotest  idea  that  my  rude  sketch  would  be  used 
in  crediting  me  with  being  a  civil  engineer  of  no  mean  abil- 
ity, nor  that  my  having  been  in  the  army  of  the  United 
States  would  entitle  me  to  the  dignity  of  a  highly  educated 
military  graduate  from  some  United  States  army  school; 
nor  was  I  aware  that  my  walk  and  carriage  were  that  of 
an  officer  in  the  military  establishment  of  my  government. 
Yet  the  sequel  will  show  that  all  this  was  the  case. 


206  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

IWITKD  TO  ORGANIZE  SCHOOLS— CATHOLIC  PRIESTS  DISPLEASED  AT 
MORMON  SUCCESS  — GOOD  ATTENDANCE  AT  Till  SCHOOLS  — 
THREATS  BY  THE  PRIE8TS— DISCOMFITURE  <)F  THE  LATTER— 
FEAST  AND  ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME  BY  THE  NATIVES  T<>  THE 
WRITER— PREACHING  AND  BAPTISMS— CATHOLIC  PRIESTS  SEIZE 
A  SCHOOLHOT7SE  BELONGING  TO  THE  SAINTS— DISTURB  A  SAINTS' 
MEETING— MORE  BAPTISMS— FURTHEB  ANNOYANCE  HV  CATHOLICS 
—PEOPLE  DECIDE  AGAINST  THEM— TOWN  OFPICIALS  APPEALED 
TO— THEY  UPHOLD  THE  DECISION  IN  FA  Vol;  OF  THE  MORMONS- 
PRIESTS  WRITE  TO  GOVERNOR  BONARD,  MAKING  FALSE  CHARGES 
AGAINST  ME— A  PECULIAR  DREAM. 

ON  August  7th  I  was  solicited  by  the  chief  men  of 
Putuhara  to  assist  them  in  organizing  a  school. 
Indeed,  the  whole  people  were  anxious  to  have  me  aid  them 
in  this,  therefore  I  took  hold  as  requested.  They  had  no 
school  at  that  time,  and  were  looking  for  a  white  Elder  to 
start  one,  as  they  themselves  had  but  a  vague  idea  of  the 
proper  order  or  rules  to  govern  such  an  organization.  The 
writer  did  not  have  the  remotest  idea  that  he  would  meet 
with  the  antagonism  of  the  Catholic  priests  in  this  matter, 
as  there  was  a  unanimous  desire  for  him  among  the  people, 
who  had  rejected  the  offer  of  the  priest  stationed  at  that 
place.  However,  I  soon  heard  that  the  priest  was  displeased 
because  the  people  had  rejected  him  and  supported  us  by 
sending  their  children  to  our  school,  and  by  feasting  me 
and  showing  me  marked  preference  in  many  ways.  Our 
house  was  crowded  to  its  full  capacity  every  evening,  while 
the  priest  sat  alone  in  his  studio. 

On  August  1 2th  we  had  thirty-six  students;  by  the 
14th  the  school  had  increased  to  sixty-five.  The  priest 
came  to  the  door,  looked  in,  then  turned  short  on  his  heel, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  207 

and  went  away  without  speaking,  yet  showing  his  dis- 
pleasure in  his  manner.  Soon  he  got  a  house  to  run  oppo- 
sition in  school  work,  but  he  failed  to  get  pupils.  Then  he 
became  very  cross  and  snarly  at  every  one  he  came  in  con- 
tact with;  at  least,  so  said  the  people. 

In  company  with  some  of  my  friends,  I  went  to 
Otapipi  on  August  15th.  We  met  a  man  with  a  letter  from 
the  head  Catholic  priest,  for  me.  It  was  in  the  Tahitian 
language,  and  began  as  follows:  "larran  Iatobo,  i  te  Atua" 
(James,  how  do  you  do  in  the  Lord?)  and  continued,  trans- 
lated into  English:  "This  is  what  I  have  to  say  to  you:  Do 
not  trouble  our  schools,  and  we  will  not  trouble  yours.  If 
you  do  so  again,  I  will  send  for  the  governor's  aide  de 
camp,  and  we  will  have  you  tried  before  him.  You  must 
not  trouble  us  any  more."  It  closed  with  "Tidar  Paran 
Iaraan  ae,  Tavara"  (That  is  all  the  talk.  Good  bye  to  you.) 
As  we  had  not  knowingly  interfered  with  their  schools  we 
did  not  make  any  reply,  but  continued  our  journey  to 
Otapipi,  and  held  a  prayer  meeting  at  that  place  at  3 
o'clock  p.  m.  While  there  I  saw  a  priest  and  his  two 
attendants  coming  across  the  lake.  They  landed,  and  came 
straight  to  the  house  where  we  had  put  up.  The  priest 
walked  in  without  hesitation,  and  politely  offered  to  shake 
hands.  We  met  him  as  politely,  and  took  his  hand.  Then 
he  asked  if  we  had  received  a  letter  from  the  priest  below. 
We  informed  him  that  we  had.  "Well,"  said  he,  "we  don't 
want  you  to  interfere  with  our  schools,  and  we  will  not  with 
yours."  At  the  same  time  he  threatened  me  with  the 
governor's  authority,  if  we  did  not  "walk  straight."  After 
some  discourse,  I  asked  him  what  kind  of  a  God  he  wor- 
shiped. He  said  a  spirit  without  body  or  parts;  but  he 
failed  to  find  any  Scripture  to  support  his  belief,  and  the 
people  who  had  gathered  around  laughed  at  him,  making 
him  feel  very  much  out  of  temper.  On  August  16th  he 
called  a  few  children  together  and  spoke  briefly  to  them  in 


208  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Latin  or  some  language  that  I  did  not  understand.  Then 
he  departed  for  another  village. 

Soon  after  this,  the  people  prepared  a  feast  in  honor 
of  our  visit.  The  food  consisted  of  roasted  fish  and  fowl. 
Many  little  presents  were  also  brought,  such  as  could  be 
made  from  the  fiber  of  the  cocoanut  husk,  mats,  shells,  etc. 
When  all  was  laid  before  us,  the  spokesman  said,  in  sub- 
stance, in  the  Tahitian  language:  ''James,  as  a  token  of  our 
great  love  and  respect  for  you,  the  servant  of  God,  we,  the 
people  of  Otapipi,  Anaa,  have  collected  of  all  the  varieties 
of  food  that  our  land  affords,  and  a  few  articles  of  use. 
Here  is  a  pig,  there  is  a  fish,  and  fowl,  and  here  are  cocoa- 
nuts.  This  is  meat  and  drink  for  us,  and  all  that  is  pro- 
duced in  our  land.  We  wish  you  to  accept  it  from  all  of  us 
as  your  true  friends,  and  we  wrish  you  to  eat  and  be  full. 
Be  our  president  and  teacher  in  the  Gospel,  and  a  teacher 
of  our  children;  for  we  are  glad  to  have  you  come  to  our 
land  as  a  father  and  guide.  Our  hearts  are  full  of  gladness 
that  God  has  sent  you  to  our  land,  that  we  may  be  taught 
to  love  the  true  and  living  God,  for  we  have  always  been 
in  the  dark,  and  did  not  know  there  was  a  true  and  living 
God  to  love  and  worship.  Now  we  have  no  more  to  say. 
Amen." 

The  foregoing  is  a  fair  representation  of  the  addresses 
made  to  us  on  occasions  such  as  that  was.  That  night  the 
house  could  not  hold  all  who  came  to  search  the  Scriptures 
and  sing  sacred  hymns.  Three  persons  offered  themselves 
for  baptism,  and  were  put  off  till  Sunday,  the  17th,  when  I 
preached  on  faith,  repentance,  and  baptism  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins.  At  the  afternoon  services,  I  exhorted  the 
people  to  be  faithful,  told  them  the  conditions  on  which 
they  could  be  admitted  into  the  Church,  and  said  that  all 
who  felt  to  accept  those  conditions  might  be  accommodated 
that  evening,  as  I  had  three  candidates  to  wait  on  at  the 
close  of  the  services. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  200. 

When  the  meeting  was  over,  the  whole  congregation 
gathered  down  by  the  seaside.  We  sang  a  hymn  and 
prayed,  and  I  went  down  into  the  water  and  remained  there 
until  I  had  baptized  thirty-five  souls.  When  these  were 
confirmed,  the  people  remained  together  to  a  late  hour 
before  they  would  disperse.  On  August  18th,  agreeable 
to  the  request  of  the  people  and  with  the  approval  of  the 
rulers  of  the  village,  I  opened  a  school,  classified  the  stu- 
dents, and  chose  teachers  for  each  class,  then  laid  down 
rules  to  govern  them.  The  feasting  was  continued  from 
day  to  day  to  August  24th.  On  Sunday,  the  25th,  I 
preached  from  the  second  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles. At  the  close  of  the  meeting  three  persons  presented 
themselves  for  baptism,  and  we  attended  to  the  ordinance. 
One  of  those  baptized  was  Mahia,  who,  forty  years  later, 
presided  over  the  entire  mission,  being,  at  the  latter  time, 
totally  blind.  Besides  the  three  mentioned,  sixteen  others 
were  baptized,  and  all  of  them  confirmed. 

On  the  26th.  the  school  was  continued  in  good  order. 
That  day  the  news  came  that  the  Catholic  priest  had  taken 
charge  of  our  meeting  house  at  Temarari,  although  the 
house  was  built  and  owned  by  the  Latter-dav  Saints.  The 
priest  claimed  the  right  to  control  it  in  the  interest  of  his 
church;  and  the  Saints  requested  me  to  come  and  help  them 
regain  possession  of  the  house.  With  two  of  the  natives,  I 
started  on  the  27th,  quite  a  company,  male  and  female, 
following  us.  When  we  arrived  a  feast  was  prepared;  tne 
people  gave  us  a  perfect  ovation.  We  held  meeting  that 
evening,  the  28th,  and  I  preached  from  the  twelfth  chapter 
of  Luke. 

At  the  close  of  the  meeting  the  bell  was  rung  for 
school.  In  came  the  priest  to  take  charge,  but  as  he  had 
no  right  to  the  hour,  and  the  people  did  not  want  him  to 
teach,  but  desired  me  to  take  charge,  I  told  them  that 
when  they  settled  the  dispute  about   the   house,  if   it   was 


2IO  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

desired  by  the  whole  people  and  their  officers  that  I  should 
proceed,  I  would  do  so.  They  arranged  to  settle  the  matter 
in  a  dav  or  two. 

On  the  30th  I  received  a  letter  from  Elder  T.  W. 
Whitaker,  of  Tahiti,  and  I  wrote  to  the  white  Elders.  The 
same  evening  I  had  a  call  from  two  of  the  Catholic  priests, 
whose  names  were  Tavara  and  Harara.  Evidently  they 
were  very  much  disturbed  in  their  feelings,  as  the  people 
were  still  feasting  with  and  showing  every  respect  possible 
to  me,  while  they  passed  the  priests  by  with  a  cold  nod. 

Sunday  morning,  August  31st,  I  preached  on  the  attri- 
butes of  God.  At  the  close  of  our  meeting  the  priests  rang 
the  bell  and  came  marching  in  with  their  lamps  and  images, 
demanding  possession  of  the  house.  We  told  them  we  had 
business  matters  to  attend  to,  and  were  not  ready  to  give 
up  the  place.  Nevertheless,  they  piled  their  things  on  the 
table  in  front  of  me  as  I  sat  writing.  They  had  as  much 
as  two  or  three  men  could  carry.  They  crowded  their 
things  right  into  my  way,  so  I  asked  what  they  meant  by 
such  conduct,  and  who  had  invited  them  there  before  we  got 
through  with  our  business.  They  replied  that  it  was  their 
time  for  meeting,  and  demanded  the  house,  claiming  it  was 
a  public  building,  and  that  they  had  a  right  to  hold  their 
meetings  in  it.  I  said  that  it  had  been  built  and  was  owned 
by  the  Mormon  people,  and  that  we  did  not  propose  to  be 
disturbed  by  the  intruders  until  we  had  finished  our  busi- 
ness. At  that  they  flew  into  a  rage  and  threatened  us  with 
the  law,  as  they  had  done  before,  but  finally  they  cooled 
down,  carried  their  things  out,  and  waited  until  we  were 
through  and  had  left.  Then  they  held  their  services.  I  do 
not  think  they  had  over  six  persons  in  their  congregation. 
They  dispersed  quietly,  and  at  10  o'clock  a.  m.  we  held 
meeting  again.  I  preached  on  faith  and  baptism.  One 
hundred  and  thirty  people  attended  our  meeting.  In  the 
evening  I  baptized  and  confirmed  twenty-five  persons. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  211 

On  Monday,  September  ist,  I  took  up  school  by 
request  of  the  people  and  their  peace  officers.  On  the  4th 
we  had  thirty  students.  On  the  ^th,  two  native  Elders 
went  with  me  to  Tuuhora.  We  received  a  call  from  a 
priest;  also  held  a  prayer  meeting,  but  few  people  attended 
it.  On  Sunday  we  held  three  meetings,  administered  the 
sacrament,  baptized  nineteen  souls,  and  confirmed  them.  On 
Monday,  the  8th,  we  organized  a  school  with  fifty  students, 
and  with  the  peace  officers  selected  a  teacher  for  each 
class.  The  Catholic  priest  called  on  me  and  forbade  me 
changing  his  hours  of  school.  As  I  had  not  attempted 
to  interfere  with  him  or  his  schools,  I  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  he  was  seeking  an  occasion  against  me  under  the 
law,  as  they  had  threatened  me  with  before.  I  knew  they 
were  jealous,  for  where  I  stopped  the  people  would  throng 
around  me  and  the  priests  were  left  alone. 

When  the  older  people  had  gone  through  some  morn- 
ing exercises  that  day,  desiring  on  my  part  to  prevent 
further  trouble  with  the  priest,  I  sent  him  word  that  as 
soon  as  we  got  through  with  the  younger  classes  he  could 
occupy  the  building,  but  not  before,  as  he  had  threatened 
to  do.  Just  as  the  messenger  returned,  the  priest  rang  the 
bell  most  spitefully,  and  then  came  rushing  into  the  school 
room,  his  eyes  flashing  angrily.  Our  school  was  greatly 
disturbed.  I  advanced,  and  asked  him  civilly  if  he  wished 
to  attend  our  school.  He  said  yes,  evidently  misunder- 
standing me.  I  pointed  him  to  a  seat,  saying  we  were 
much  pleased  to  have  our  school  increase,  and  would  he 
please  give  me  his  name.  I  must  confess  that  I  felt  a  little 
mischievous,  and  to  retaliate  slightly  for  their  constant 
meddling  in  our  affairs.  He  saw  the  point,  flew  into  a  rage, 
and  sent  for  the  landholders  of  the  place  to  have  me  put 
out  of  the  house.  The  landholders  came,  and  told  him 
they  did  not  wish  to  have  me  disturbed,  as  they  had  sent 
for  me  to  come  and  take  up  a  school;  that  the  people  pre- 


212  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

f erred  me  to  him;  that  he  was  the  one  who  had  made  the 
disturbance,  not  me,  and  that  he  must  give  way  and  cease 
his  interference. 

Not  satisfied  with  that  decision,  the  priest  sent  for  the 
governor  and  chief  men  of  the  town,  who  came,  and  with 
them  a  large  crowd  of  citizens.  When  the  governor  had 
heard  both  sides,  he  confirmed  the  decision  of  the  land- 
holders, and  called  for  a  vote  of  the  people  to  say  which 
of  us  should  teach  school.  The  vote  was  unanimous 
against  the  priest.  Then  the  governor  told  him  that  as  the 
people  did  not  want  him  he  must  leave  the  house  at  once, 
and  not  disturb  me  or  my  school  any  more,  for  none  of  the 
people  had  any  use  for  him,  as  he  had  witnessed;  they  had 
all  voted  against  him.  and  all  wanted  Iatobo. 

At  this,  the  priest  took  up  his  books  and  slates,  and 
after  accusing  me  of  everything  that  was  mean  and  low, 
and  calling  the  Mormon  people  the  vilest  names,  he  with- 
drew. Later,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Governor  Bonard,  of 
Tahiti,  and  circulated  it  for  signatures.  We  learned  after- 
wards that  he  got  thirty  signers.  I  believe  that  eleven 
were  French  traders,  and  the  other  nineteen  were  natives 
whom  the  traders  had  in  their  employment.  We  also 
learned,  at  the  cost  of  inquiry,  that  the  priest's  letter  con- 
tained the  charges  upon  which  I  was  subsequently  arrested. 
But  at  that  time  we  continued  our  school  in  peace. 

On  September  12th  I  was  feasted  in  royal  style  by 
non-members  of  the  Church.  They  called  on  one  of  the 
native  Elders  to  deliver  the  address,  wrhich  he  did  in  a  most 
eloquent  manner.  I  responded  in  the  usual  way,  and  ac- 
cepted their  kind  offering.  The  cook  disposed  of  the  spread 
to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  whole  assembly,  on  such 
occasions  all  present  being  directly  interested  in  the  distri- 
bution of  the  eatable?. 

About  this  time  the  writer  had  a  remarkable  dream. 
He  dreamed  that  God  appeared,  and  told  him  to   go  to  a 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  2  1 3 

field  of  his  earthly  father's,  and  replant  where  the  birds  and 
squirrels  had  destroyed  the  grain.  Then  his  father  ap- 
peared and  showed  him  where  to  begin  the  labor.  When 
he  had  been  furnished  with  seed  and  a  hoe,  he  went  to 
work,  and  the  replanting  was  soon  done.  Then  he  was 
shown  a  field  of  wheat  that,  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  was 
about  eight  inches  high.  The  ground  was  quite  wet,  and 
the  grain  was  growing  nicely.  While  he  was  gazing  on 
the  bright  prospects,  a  herd  of  cattle  came  in,  breaking 
down  the  fence.  They  seemed  to  trample  everything  they 
came  to.  Then  he  heard  a  voice  say,  "Drive  them  out;'r 
and  as  he  attempted  to  do  so,  a  fiery  red  bull  made  a  charge 
toward  him  so  that  it  seemed  impossible  for  him  to  escape 
being  gored  to  death;  but  as  the  animal  lowered  its  head 
to  make  the  deadly  thrust,  the  writer  seized  it  by  both 
horns  and  bore  its  head  to  the  earth.  The  animal  was 
coming  with  such  force  that  it  turned  a  somersault,  both 
horns  being  sunk  to  the  head  in  the  earth,  and  the  bull's 
neck  being  broken.  Then  a  black  and  white  bull,  very 
peculiarly  marked,  came  up  in  the  same  fierce  manner, 
only  to  meet  with  a  similar  fate.  At  that  the  herd  cleared 
the  field,  but  not  until  much  damage   had  been  done. 

When  he  awoke,  the  writer  felt  that  there  was  more 
trouble  ahead  for  him,  but  he  did  not  know  from  what 
source  it  would  come.  Of  the  priests  who  had  given  so 
much  annoyance,  one  had  fiery  red  hair,  and  another  was 
white  and  dark  spotted,  or  freckle-faced. 


214  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

GO  TO  TEMARA1  \-MIi:  ICULOUS  EBALING — CHILD  A8S  \ll.i:i>  B1  AN  EVIL 
SPIRIT — TRANGE  OCCURRENCE -GIFT  OF  SEA  BISCUITS—  l'K  |{  F<  >KM 
A  SURGICAL  OPERATION— HAMMERING  OFT  TEETH— THE  WRITER 
AS  A  SURGEOS  AND  DENTIST— ROUGHS  DISTURB  A  MEETING— 
THEY  AUK  STRICKEN  WITH  DEATH— FATAL  SICKNES8  AMONG  THE 
PEOPLE— LOWER  CLASSES  OF  THE  NATIVES  AT  A  FEAST— THEEB 
REVERENCE  FOR  RELIGIOUS  SERVICES  AND  PREACHERS— TWO 
PARTIES  OF  NATIVES  IN  BATTLE  ARRAY— FIGHTING  AVERTED  BY 
THE  WRITER  ADDRESSING  THE  CONTENDING  FACTIONS  IN  FAVOR 
OF  PEACE— WARS  AMONG  Tin-:  NATIVES-SOME  OF  THEIR  PRAC- 
TICES—GATHERING AND  KEEPING  HUMAN  HEADS— CAUSES  OF 
(  UNNIBALI8M— CONVERSATION  WITH  ONE  WHO  HAD  BEEN  A  CAN- 
NIBAL—FLAVOR OF  NATIVE  AND  WHITE  MEN'S  FLESH  COMPARED 
—THi:  TASTIEST  PART  OF  THE  HUMAN   BODY. 

ON  September  19th.  Nihiru,  a  native  brother,  came 
with  his  canoe  and  gave  the  writer  a  free  passage  to 
a  village  on  the  east  end  of  the  island,  called  Tematahoa. 
We  arrived  in  the  evening  and  found  a  great  deal  of  sick- 
ness among  the  people.  Just  at  dark  on  the  20th,  a  brother 
named  Pasai  came  from  Temaraia  with  a  sick  man  to  have 
him  anointed  and  administered  to.  I  attended  to  that  and 
he  was  healed. 

On  the  2 1st,  Sunday,  I  preached  on  the  signs,  gifts  of 
healing,  etc.  There  were  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
persons  in  the  congregation.  In  the  evening  I  baptized  and 
confirmed  eighteen  persons.  Monday  morning  I  opened 
school  with  twenty-eight  pupils;  next  day  there  were  forty- 
one. 

On  the  following  day,  September  24th,  a  man  and  his 
wife  came  to  me  with  a  child  three  and  a  half  months  old. 
Thev  said  that  a  short  time  before  their  child  had  been 
taken  sick  in  the   night,  and  they   had  talked  to  each  other 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  215 

of  having  it  anointed.  At  this,  the  child  spoke,  and  stated 
in  plain  words,  like  an  adult,  that  it  would  not  be  anointed. 
It  said  many  words  as  plainly  as  any  person  could  do. 
From  that  time  it  grew  worse  to  the  day  it  was  brought  to 
me  to  be  administered  to.  The  parents  said  they  did  not 
belong  to  the  Church,  but  desired  to  be  baptized,  for  they 
believed  the  Gospel  as  the  Mormon  Elders  taught  it.  Their 
names  were  Tauahi  and  Taui.  We  baptized  them  and  one 
other  person,  then  administered  to  the  child,  which  lay  limp 
as  if  dead.  We  could  not  tell  whether  it  was  dead  or  alive. 
However,  when  we  took  our  hands  off  its  head,  it  opened 
its  eyes  and  looked  as  if  nothing  was  the  matter.  Then  it 
nursed  as  any  healthy  child  might.  There  were  many  peo- 
ple gathered  there,  and  all  were  astonished  at  what  had 
taken  place.  Finally  the  babe  went  to  sleep  as  if  nothing 
had  been  wrong  with  it,  and  the  whole  company  rejoiced 
at  the  great  change  that  had  come.  They  said  that  truly 
it  was  the  Almighty  who  had  healed  the  child  through  His 
servant. 

I  turned  and  gave  my  attention  to  some  writing  that 
was  necessary,  and  the  crowd  became  unusually  quiet.  In 
a  few  minutes  a  strong  rushing  or  movement  among  the 
people  attracted  my  attention,  and  as  I  turned  to  face  the 
people  there  appeared  to  be  an  ashy  paleness  over  the  faces 
of  the  whole  assembly.  All  seemed  terrified  and  speechless. 
At  that  moment  an  aged  couple,  a  man  and  his  wife,  en- 
tered the  door  and  went  straightway  to  where  the  sleeping 
infant  lay.  They  bowed  down  over  it  and  kissed  it,  and 
then  went  through  some  ancient  heathen  ceremony  that  I 
could  not  understand.  Then  they  walked  direct  to  their 
canoes  and  sailed  across  the  lake  to  where  they  had  come 
from.  From  that  moment  the  relatives  of  the  child  began 
to  mourn  and  say  that  it  would  die;  and  sure  enough,  in- 
side of  an  hour  it  was  a  corpse.  The  parents  were  asked 
why  they  had  lost  faith  and  given  up  the  child.     They  said 


2l6  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

the  old  people  who  had  kissed  the  babe  had  power  with 
evil  spirits,  and  had  afflicted  it  in  the  first  place;  that  their 
power  had  been  broken  by  the  Priesthood,  and  they  could 
not  reunite  it  with  the  babe  until  they  could  come  and  touch 
it;  and  when  they  had  done  that,  the  parents  and  all  con- 
cerned lost  faith,  and  could  not  resist  the  influence  that 
came  with  the  old  pair  of  witches,  as  we  think  they  would 
be  called  by  some  civilized  people.  I  must  confess  it  was  a 
strange  thing  to  me.  I  had  never  before  witnessed  any- 
thing so  strange.         '    • 

It  was  on  the  27th  of  September  that  the  child  died. 
On  the  same  day  a  Scotchman  came  and  brought  me  a  few 
sea  biscuits.  I  was  very  thankful  to  him  for  the  favor,  for 
bread  was  such  a  rarity  in  that  part  of  the  country  as  to 
give  a  man  some  satisfaction  in  seeing  it,  even  though  he 
might  not  have  the  pleasure  of  eating  it.  Thanks  to  the 
benevolent  Scotchman.  I  regret  that  I  have  forgotten  his 
name.  The  next  day  I  preached  on  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  and  baptized  and  confirmed  eighteen  persons  into  the 
Church. 

Before  leaving  my  reminiscences  of  this  place,  I  will 
narrate  two  incidents  of  some  note  to  me.  In  one,  we  were 
called  to  see  a  man  who  had  been  confined  to  his  room  the 
greater  part  of  a  year  with  a  swelling  in  his  hip  and  thigh. 
On  examination  it  was  found  that  his  whole  hip  and  thigh 
were  filled  with  a  thick  and  very  noxious  pus.  No  one 
in  the  village  dared  to  lance  it,  but  when  I  told  him  his 
condition  he  insisted  that  I  should  cut  it  whether  it  killed  or 
cured.  I  hesitated  to  comply  with  his  wish  until  all  his  im- 
mediate relatives  had  been  consulted,  and  had  given  their 
assent.  Otherwise,  the  superstition  of  the  people  was  so 
great  that  if  in  the  operation  the  patient  succumbed  the 
operator  wrould  have  the  gravest  responsibility  to  meet. 
But  when  all  concerned  had  given  sanction,  and  each  had 
assumed  his  or  her  responsibility,  I  performed  the  operation 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  217 

most  successfully,  the  wound  discharging  at  least  six  pints 
of  the  most  offensive  matter,  and  the  patient  being  greatly 
relieved  from  his  terrible  suffering.  The  operation  was 
performed  with  a  penknife,  for  in  that  country  at  that  time 
the  only  surgical  instrument  ever  used  for  cutting  was  a 
shark's  tooth  or  a  scale  from  a  broken  bottle. 

In  this  case  the  operation  seemed  to  the  people  very 
little  less  than  a  miracle.  The  news  thereof  spread  all 
over  the  island,  insomuch  that  the  operator  acquired  much 
practice  in  similar  cases,  such  as  swollen  jaws,  boils,  car- 
buncles, etc.,  and  though  he  performed  many  operations, 
he  never  received  one  cent  as  pay.  If  the  people  had 
toothache,  he  was  called  on  and  performed  the  operation  of 
extraction,  in  some  instances  using  a  rusty  nail,  or  any  kind 
of  an  old  iron,  in  place  of  a  hammer  or  mallet,  to  punch  the 
tooth  out.  His  best  dentist  tool  was  his  rifle  bullet  mold, 
using  both  ends  for  forceps.  He  never  failed  to  give  satis- 
faction, for  there  were  neither  dentists  nor  surgeons  in  that 
part  of  the  world. 

The  other  incident,  and  a  very  singular  one,  which 
occurred  at  that  place  was  this:  On  one  occasion  seven 
very  rough  characters  came  into  our  sacrament  meeting. 
Some  of  them  were  said  to  be  from  an  adjacent  island. 
They  came,  took  seats  at  the  back  of  the  hall,  and  behaved 
very  rudely,  making  loud  remarks  and  threats  about  the 
young  ladies  of  the  choir.  When  they  partook  of  the 
sacrament  they  said  that  when  the  meeting  was  out  they 
would  administer  ihe  sacrament  in  a  very  different  manner 
to  that  in  which  the  Mormons  did  it.  Sure  enough,  at  the 
close  of  the  meeting  they  pushed  along  through  the  con- 
gregation till  they  came  to  the  youngladies,  and  made  wicked 
propositions  to  them,  which  were  very  quickly  spurned. 
Then  they  passed  on,  still  making  their  boasts  of  what  they 
would  do  at  nightfall.  But  they  failed  in  carrying  out  their 
threats,  for  in  a  very  short  time  three  of  them  were  stricken 

14 


2l8  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

down  with  violent  cramps,  so  terrible  that  all  three  were 
corpses  before  the  next  morning.  The  other  four  had 
strong  symptoms  of  the  same  complaint,  and  inside  of  a 
week  they  were  dead  also.  The  people  said  it  was  the 
power  of  evil  spirits  that  had  been  sent  to  destroy  them, 
that  they  might  not  be  permitted  to  carry  out  their  wicked 
purposes.  The  whole  people  were  so  excited  that  they 
shot  off  guns,  blew  horns,  built  large  fires,  prayed  and 
shouted  in  wild  confusion,  to  drive  away  the  evil  spirits; 
and  many  people  were  smitten  with  sickness  and  some 
died. 

On  the  29th  of  September  we  sailed  for  Putuhara. 
The  wind  blew  a  gale,  and  we  had  a  fearful  passage,  but 
succeeded  in  reaching  our  destination  in  safety,  and  in  time 
for  evening  meeting,  when  we  preached  to  a  large  congre- 
gation. October  1st,  I  baptized  and  confirmed  three  per- 
sons. On  the  same  day  the  roughest  people  of  the  island 
assembled  to  feast  and  dance.  It  seemed  that  to  quarrel 
and  fight  was  the  principal  number  on  their  program,  and 
they  appeared  to  indulge  in  everything  that  was  wicked. 
They  killed  pigs,  chickens  and  dogs,  roasted  all  alike,  and 
ate  them  with  great  relish.  They  also  ran  through  the 
streets  with  torchlights  and  firebrands,  and  the  confusion 
was  so  great  and  turbulent  that  it  looked  more  like  an 
actual  battle  of  savages  than  a  dance.  All  ages  participated, 
from  the  child  of  tender  years  up  to  the  old  grayheaded 
man  and  woman,  all  of  them  two-thirds  naked,  and  some 
of  the  children  entirely  nude. 

I  had  seen  Indians  in  their  warpaint  and  dances,  but 
this  excelled  in  confused  savage  deeds  anything  I  ever  be- 
held before.  It  seemed  that  they  never  knew  what  order 
meant.  Yet,  strange  to  say,  at  the  first  tap  of  the  church 
bell  they  reminded  me  of  a  turkey  gobbler  which,  when  in 
full  strut,  seeing  a  dog  run  at  him,  drops  his  feathers  so  sud- 
denly that  he  does  not  look  like  the  same  bird.     So  it  was 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JAMES  S.  BROWN.        219 

with  that  savage-looking  lot.  At  .the  first  tap  of  the  bell 
they  became  as  silent  as  if  dead,  then  retreated  to  their 
hiding  places,  and  not  another  yell  was  heard  from  any  of 
them,  so  great  was  their  reverence  for  religious  services. 
At  one  time,  though,  it  did  seem  that  they  could  not  be 
silenced  short  of  bloodshed,  for  there  were  two  opposing 
parties  mixed  up  together. 

When  the  confusion  was  straightened  out  and  peace 
apparently  restored,  the  parties  separated,  only  to  cqme 
together  again  later,  with  more  roast  pigs,  chickens  and 
dogs.  Then  they  ate  of  their  feast  until  full,  when  some 
unwise  person  of  one  party  made  an  insulting  remark  about 
the  other  party.  Quickly  the  participants  in  the  feast 
formed  for  battle,  armed  with  clubs  and  stones.  At  that 
moment  one  man  from  each  party  ran  for  the  ormatua 
(missionary).  I  went  out  and  stepped  up  on  to  a  large 
chest,  at  the  same  time  calling  aloud  for  peace.  Strange  as 
it  may  seem,  although  their  clubs  and  stones  were  raised  to 
strike  fatal  blows,  and  the  women  and  children  were  shriek- 
ing and  crying,  the  moment  the  natives  recognized  me 
among  them  they  dropped  their  ugly  weapons  and  listened, 
and  the  spokesman  of  each  party  came  forward  to  plead 
his  particular  case.  I  caught  the  spirit  of  the  situation  and 
addressed  them  briefly  on  the  subject  of  peace,  order  and 
good  will  to  all,  and  exhorted  them  to  leave  their  griev- 
ances to  two  or  more  of  their  cooler  and  wiser  men  to  set- 
tle. This  they  agreed  to  do;  then  they  joined  forces  and 
made  an  attack  on  the  writer,  not  for  blood,  but  of  love  and 
respect.  Men  and  women  seized  on  to  him,  embracing  him 
and  shaking  his  hands  until  he  was  nearly  smothered  and 
almost  borne  to  the  ground. 

I  would  not  have  it  understood  that  this  great  rever- 
ence and  respect  was  shown  to  me  for  any  superiority  that 
I  would  claim;  but  it  was  a  man's  calling  as  a  minister  of 
the  Gospel  which  they  held  sacred   before  the   Lord.     So 


2  20  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

long  as  he  did  not  betray  their  confidence,  the  minister's 
influence  was  almost  unbounded,  and  with  all  their  faults 
the  natives  had  many  most  estimable  qualities. 

From  this  great  excitement,  and  the  accounts  that  he 
had  heard  from  time  to  time,  the  writer  was  led  to  inquire  in- 
to the  manner  of  warfare,  the  traditions  and  the  superstitions, 
as  also  into  the  causes  for  and  cannibalism  of  the  islanders. 
Their  wars  usually  had  an  origin  in  very  trivial  causes,  such 
as  family  quarrels,  thefts,  politics  and  disputes  over  land  or 
over  fishing  waters.  At  one  time  the  islands  had  a  dense 
population,  and  the  strong  would  go  on  the  warpath  for  con- 
quest, one  village  or  island  being  pitted  against  another. 
Their  ariis  (kings),  as  they  call  them — I  think  it  would  be 
more  proper  to  designate  them  as  chiefs,  as  the  Indians  do 
— attain  power  through  brave  and  heroic  acts,  and  the 
great  havoc  they  make  among  their  adversaries.  Their 
weapons  consisted  chiefly  of  spears  made  from  fish  bone  and 
hard  wood,  stones  and  slings,  clubs,  and  a  rudely  fashioned 
glove  made  by  winding  bark  and  shark's  teeth  together  in 
such  a  way  as  to  have  the  teeth  stand  out  thickly  on  the 
inside  of  the  hand.  With  this  latter  weapon  they  would 
grapple  with  and  tear  out  each  other's  entrails.  They  had 
rude  drums  and  some  kind  of  whistles  for  musical  instru- 
ments. 

In  war,  the  two  parties  approach  each  other,  danc- 
ing, boasting  and  threatening,  until  within  a  few  feet  of  each 
other,  when  they  leap  at  and  onto  one  another  in  a  hand- 
to-hand  conflict,  fighting  as  wild  beasts,  to  a  finish.  Their 
mothers,  sisters,  daughters  and  aunts  prepare  themselves 
with  strong  baskets  made  from  the  cocoanut  leaf,  and  swing 
these  on  their  backs;  then  (each  with  a  sharp  rock  or  a 
seashell  in  her  hand)  they  enter  the  battlefield  in  rear  of 
their  nearest  male  relative.  When  the  latter  has  dispatched 
his  man  or  disabled  him  so  that  the  women  can  finish  him, 
he  engages  another  adversary,  while  the    woman    beheads 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JAMES  S.  BROWN.        221 

his  victim,  puts  the  head  into  her  basket,  swings  it  on  her 
back,  and  continues  to  follow  her  male  relative  to  victory 
or  death. 

When  a  war  is  over,  and  the  victorious  party  returns 
home,  each  family  has  a  place  for  the  captured  heads, 
where  they  are  put  in  rows,  being  set  some  six  or  eight 
inches  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  easy  of  access. 
This  was  done  so  that  when  any  question  arose  as  to  the 
bravest  family,  or  the  member  of  a  family  to  take  the  first 
place  as  dictator  or  chief,  the  mori,  or  place  of  skulls  may 
be  visited  and  a  tallv  made,  when  the  one  with  the  highest 
number  of  skulls  or  heads  is  given  the  coveted  position.  In 
these  contests  they  also  count  the  heads  taken  by  their  an- 
cestors, as  far  back  as  they  can  find  them,  no  matter  how 
many  generations  they  cover.  Thus  the  family  with  the 
most  skulls  gets  the  place  sought,  which  is  generally  that 
of  chief  or  king. 

When  a  battle  is  ended,  the  victors  pass  over  the 
ground,  often  bleeding  from  their  wounds,  and  starved  and 
well  nigh  exhausted  from  being  without  food.  The  island- 
ers have  a  tradition  that  whatever  gives  them  pain  they 
should  eat.  So  if  they  are  wounded  by  a  sharp  stone 
which  by  any  means  has  fastened  itself  into  a  man's  flesh, 
or  by  a  sliver,  they  extract  and  eat  it,  saying,  "You  are  my 
enemy,  you  never  shall  hurt  me  more."  Thus  they  seem 
to  satisfy  the  vicious  spirit  of  revenge.  This  strange  pro- 
ceeding may  have  had  something  to  do  with  the  origin  of 
cannibalism.  Still.  I  am  rather  inclined  to  think  it  had  its 
beginning  in  starvation,  and  to  that  was  added  the  spirit  of 
revenge.  Thus  the  appetite  was  cultivated  until,  with  very 
slight  pretext,  human  life  became  sacrificed  to  a  depraved 
and  vicious  appetite.  These  practices  and  others  seemed 
to  be  justified  in  their  savage  minds,  insomuch  that  they 
did  not  scruple  in  gathering  up  the  slain  and  feeding  upon 
them. 


2  22  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

His  curiosity  having  been  awakened  in  searching  into 
heathen  life,  the  writer  made  inquiries  at  the  most  authentic 
sources  of  information  for  further  light  on  this  custom.  In 
one  case  he  found  an  old  lady  who  was  the  last  of  the  fifth 
generation  back.  Her  intellect  seemed  bright,  although 
she  could  not  open  her  eyes  except  with  her  fingers.  When 
questioned  in  regard  to  cannibalism,  she  lifted  her  eyelids 
and  said,  "I  have  followed  my  fathers,  brothers,  husband 
and  sons  in  battle,  and  we  ate  our  victims  as  we  would  eat 
pork  or  fish."  When  asked  if  she  had  eaten  white  man's 
flesh,  she  replied,  "Yes;  we  captured  some  white  men  on 
a  small  schooner  and  ate  them."  The  next  inquiry  was 
whether  there  was  any  difference  in  the  taste  of  the  white 
man's  and  of  the  native's  flesh.  "Yes,"  said  she;  "the 
white  man's  flesh  is  hard,  tough  and  salty,  while  the  flesh 
of  the  native  is  sweet  and  tender."  Then  came  the  ques- 
tion as  to  what  part  of  the  human  body  was  preferable  to 
eat.  She  said  the  heel  and  the  hand  of  a  fourteen  year- 
old  girl  were  the  sweetest  morsels  of  flesh  she  ever  ate. 
Being  asked  if  she  did  not  have  feelings  of  remorse  when 
they  had  committed  actions  like  these,  her  answer  was: 
"Not  a  bit,  it  was  in  our  days  of  heathendom;  but  now, 
since  the  Gospel  has  come  to  us,  we  have  no  desire  for 
anything  of  that  kind,  though  formerly  we  took  pleasure  in 
our  practices,  for  our  minds  were  very  dark." 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  223 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

HOLD  CONFERENCE  IX  PUTUHARA— INSTRUCTIONS  TO  THE  SAINTS— 
GO  TO  OTAPIPI-OPPOSITION  AT  TEMAR  AT  A— OFFICIALS  BRIBED 
BY  CATHOLIC  PRIESTS  —  ARRIVAL  OF  A  FRENCH  WARSHTP— 
THE  WRITEB  I-  ARRESTED  WHILE  EXPOUNDING  THE  SCRIP- 
TURES TO  THE  NATIVES  —  CAUSE  OF  LRREST  I-  FALSE  AC- 
CUSATION I'.V  CATHOLIC  PRIESTS— I  PLEAD  NOT  GUILTY  — 
ORDERED  TAKEN  TO  TAHITI  -  PAIN  IT  L  PRISON  EXPERIENCE 
-CANNIBALS     IN     I  [JST0DY  —  START    FOB    THE    SHIP-SYMPATHY 

OF    THE    NATIVE HURRIED     INTO    THE     SHIP'S    BOAT  — IN     A 

B4  HOOL  OF  WHALE  —  A  FRIGHTENED  BOAT  LOAD-^ON  BOARD 
THE  WARSHIP—  0N<  OMFORTABLE*  QUARTERS  —  QUESTIONABLE 
FRENCH  COl  RTESY— AMONG  COCKROACHES,  FILTH,  AND  LNCON- 
\  ENTEN<  B OFT  SH>E  <>!•    A  PLANK   FOB  A  BED. 

LEAVING  the  revolting  subject  of  cannibalism,  I  will 
return  to  our  missionary  labors.  Peace  and  quiet  hav- 
ing been  restored,  the  people  assembled  in  Putuhara  on 
October  5th  for  conference,  Elder  James  S.  Brown  presid- 
ing. After  reports  of  the  various  branches  had  been  made, 
as  presiding  Elder  I  reported  the  condition  of  the  Church 
generally  on  the  island,  made  a  few  opening  remarks,  and 
called  on  the  different  Elders  to  speak.  One  after  another 
these  referred  to  themselves  and  the  people  generally  hav- 
ing a  desire  for  me  to  write  home  to  the  Church  authorities, 
to  get  a  missionary  to  each  village.  AH  spoke  of  their  love 
for  the  Gospel,  and  their  wish  to  have  it  preached  on  all  the 
adjacent  islands.  There  was  such  enthusiasm  among  the 
people  that  it  seemed  unwise  to  hold  a  lengthy  conference. 
The  zeal  of  the  people  there  was  such  that  it  well  nigh 
drove  them  into  a  frenzy;  so  after  the  business  of  the  con- 
ference had  been  done,  I  addressed  them  on  the  object  of 
a  house  of  worship,  that  it  was  a  place  in  which  to  worship 
the  true  and  living  God,   and   not  a   dancehouse  or  a  place 


224  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

to  have  lawsuits,  quarreling,  righting,  and  worshiping  of 
idols  in,  as  thev  had  been  doing.  A  motion  was  made  and 
carried  that  our  building  be  kept  exclusively  for  a  house  of 
worship.  Thus  everything  else  was  forbidden  by  the  land- 
holders. At  the  close  of  the  conference  eight  persons  were 
baptized  and  confirmed. 

The  schools  of  the  different  villages  met  on  October 
6th,  to  read  and  spell  in  friendly  contest.  October  7th,  the 
school  in  Putuhara  had  increased  to  one  hundred  pupils. 
That  day  the  rougher  element  of  the  place  assembled  again 
in  their  wild. dancing;  they  sold  their  jewelry  for  fat  dogs 
and  pigs.  On  the  nth,  the  non-Mormon  women  of  the 
place  prepared  a  great  feast  for  us,  and  turned  it  over  with 
pride,  saying,  "Here  is  a  token  of  our  love  for  you,  and  we 
desire  you  to  accept  it  and  remain  in  our  town  and  teach  us 
of  the  Lord." 

We  preached  on  Sunday,  the  12th,  and  on  that  day 
also  baptized  and  confirmed  five  persons.  Next  day,  school 
was  opened  with  one  hundred  pupils.  A  great  deal  of  sick- 
ness was  reported  in  the  town.  On  the  14th,  school  was 
continued  in  good  order,  and  we  departed  in  a  small  canoe 
for  Otapipi,  where  we  found  the  people  pleased  to  see  us. 
The  school  there  was  intact.  Next  day  I  wrote  to  Elder 
Alviras  Hanks  that  I  had  heard  of  his  having  been  cast  away 
on  another  island. 

Sunday,  October  19th,  I  preached,  and  baptized  two 
persons.  On  the  24th  I  went  to  Temaraia,  where  I  met  with 
more  opposition  from  the  Catholic  priest,  with  regard  to 
school  matters,  and  learned  that  he  had  bribed  Governor 
Telidha,  also  Parai,  the  mouthpiece  of  the  town,  as  he  was 
called.  Having  them  for  his  backing,  the  priest  was  very 
bold  and  defiant,  and  no  doubt  thought  that  by  keeping  up 
an  excitement  the  Catholics  would  gain  some  support  for  the 
foul  and  false  charges  which  he  had  made  against  me.  By 
the  means  I  have  named,  the  priest   got   a   decision  against 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  225 

us.  and  for  the  first  time  we  were  compelled  to  yield,  but 
much  against  the  people's  desires.  Still,  all  settled  down 
from  high  excitement  to  peace  and  quiet,  till  October  28th, 
when  the  French  frigate  Durance  made  its  appearance 
northwest  of  the  island. 

The  warship  had  on  board  the  governor's  aide  de  camp, 
who  landed  at  Tuuhora  with  his  guards.  On  the  29th  he 
crossed  the  lagoon  to  Temaraia,  where  we  were.  At  8  p.m., 
while  I  was  engaged  in  expounding  the  scriptures  to  a  few 
of  the  natives,  in  came  a  French  gen  d'  arme  and  a  native 
officer.  They  presented  me  with  a  warrant,  which,  being 
in  the  French  language,  1  could  not  read.  The  officers 
stood  for  a  minute  or  so,  when  I  gave  them  to  understand 
that  I  was  unable  to  decipher  the  document.  Thereupon 
the  native  officer  said  that  it  meant  that  I  was  to  appear  be- 
fore the  governor's  aide  de  camp,  down  at  the  stockade,  at 
9  o'clock,  and  if  I  did  not  come  willingly,  they  had  orders 
to  drag  me  there  like  a  dog.  They  being  armed  with  swords 
and  pistols,  I  thought  it  wisest  to  go  willingly,  especially  as 
there  was  no  chance  to  do  otherwise.  The  officers  were 
quite  haughty,  yet  somewhat  nervous,  for  they  had 
been  told  that  I  was  prepared  to  make  a  strong  resistance. 
Of  course,  I  accompanied  them  readily  and  without  a  word, 
and  was  soon  ushered  into  the  august  presence  of  the  gov- 
ernor's aide.  I  found  him  seated  in  a  small  room,  in  which 
were  four  or  five  other  officers  and  a  few  soldiers  armed 
with  muskets  and  cutlasses.  When  I  entered,  the  interpre- 
ter arose,  read  a  long  list  of  charges,  and  asked  for  my 
plea.     I  answered  not  guilty  to  each  accusation. 

It  will  be  remembered  by  the  reader  that  when  I  first 
landed  on  the  island  1  sketched,  at  the  request  of  some  of 
the  natives,  a  rough  outline  of  the  United  States,  pointing 
out  my  birthplace,  also  Salt  Lake  City,  and  where  gold 
had   been    discovered   in    California.     From  that  time  the 


2  26  LIP'E    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Catholic  priests  had  conspired  to  entrap  me.  to  break  my 
influence,  and  to  close  my  schools. 

The  charges  against  me  began,  as  near  as  I  now  re- 
member them,  and  with  memory  refreshed  from  brief  notes 
taken  at  the  time,  by  an  assertion  that  I  had  subverted  the  laws 
of  the  French  protectorate;  had  interfered  with  govern- 
ment schools;  had  hoisted  the  American  flag;  had  enrolled 
some  three  thousand  men  for  the  American  government,  to 
be  controlled  by  the  Mormon  Church;  had  armed  the  men; 
was  a  civil  engineer  of  no  mean  ability;  had  ordered  the 
people  to  demolish  some  of  the  towns,  and  rebuild  with  bet- 
ter fortifications;  that  my  walk  and  general  movements  in- 
dicated military  ability,  and  undoubtedly  I  had  been  brought 
up  at  a  military  school  in  the  United  States;  that  I  had 
mapped  out  plans  of  defense;  had  great  power  with  the 
native  people,  and  was  capable  of  doing  much  mischief  in 
the  country.  These,  and  many  other  charges  of  a  frivol- 
ous nature,  were  in  the  list,  all  of  them  without  the  slightest 
foundation  in  fact,  except  that  I  had  much  influence  with 
the  people. 

I  stated  that  I  proposed  to  prove  myself  innocent  of 
every  one  of  the  accusations  made.  To  this  the  officer 
made  answer  that  they  had  the  most  positive  proof  to  estab- 
lish the  charges,  which  were  very  serious.  He  gave  me 
two  hours  to  settle  my  business,  and  see  friends,  when  I 
would  have  to  return  to  the  stockade  and  stay  where  the 
governor's  aide  thought  proper.  The  next  day  I  was  to  be 
taken  on  board  the  man-of-war.  and  go  as  a  prisoner  to 
Tahiti,  for  trial. 

Upon  receiving  this  information,  I  claimed  the  right  to 
be  tried  where  I  was  accused  of  having  committed  the  of- 
fense, and  where  I  had  the  witnesses  in  my  behalf.  "No;" 
said  the  officer,  "your  crime  is  too  great  to  be  tried  before 
any  less  authority  than  the  governor."  I  asked  to  have  wit- 
nesses summoned,  and  the  officer  inquired  if  I  had  any  wray 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF     [AMES    S.    BROWN.  227 

of  taking  them  to  Tahiti.  He  knew,  of  course,  that  I  was 
helpless  in  that  regard,  and  being  so  answered,  told  his  men 
to  take  me  in  charge.  Accordingly,  they  marched  me  to 
where  the  arrest  had  been  made. 

I  gathered  up  some  of  my  effects,  bade  goodbye  to  my 
friends,  and  returned  to  the  stockade.  There  I  was  ordered 
to  a  seat  under  an  open  shed  till  daylight,  being  guarded  by 
two  lustful  police,  who  took  unwarranted  liberty  with  some 
lewd  females,  behaving  most  shamefully  in  the  prisoner's 
presence.  My  friends  brought  bedding  for  me  and  at- 
tempted to  spread  it,  but  were  rudely  driven  away  by  the 
guards,  who  took  turns  at  pacing  in  front  of  me.  while 
the  other  interested  himself  with  the  females  spoken  of, 
who  were  void  of  shame. 

That  night  I  was  mortified  and  disgusted  as  I  never 
had  been  before  with  peace  officers.  At  last  the  long  night 
wore  past,  and  dawn  appeared.  Then  close  to  my  right, 
in  a  stockade,  I  saw  about  fifteen  native  cannibals,  who  could 
barely  hide  their  nakedness.  They  had  been  captured  by 
French  soldiers  on  some  island  in  the  north,  and  were  ac- 
cused of  killing,  upon  different  occasions,  the  white  crews 
of  three  small  schooners.  They  were  also  charged  with 
eating  their  victims,  as  well  as  robbing  and  scuttling  the 
schooners. 

I  took  my  last  glance  at  those  fierce-looking  monsters 
just  at  sunrise  on  October  30th,  when  I  was  called  before 
the  aide  de  camp  to  sign  my  name  four  times  in  English, 
and  four  times  in  the  Tahitian  language.  Then  I  was 
ordered  into  a  filthy  old  boat  that  was  used  to  collect  oil. 
The  boat's  crew  were  rough  and  dirty,  and  scoffed  and 
jeered  at  me  and  otherwise  made  the  sail  across  the  lagoon 
to  Tuuhora  as  disagreeable  as  they  could. 

When  we  landed  at  Tuuhora  it  was  among  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  French  marines.  They,  too,  must  jeer, 
and  satisfy  their  curiosity  by  gathering  around  and  imperti- 


228  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

nently  staring  me  in  the  face,  jabbering  together  and  laugh- 
ing, while  the  natives  met  me  with  sympathy  expressed  in 
their  countenances.  Two  soldiers  kept  close  to  me,  how- 
ever, and  did  not  allow  much  opportunity  for  conversation 
with  anyone.  I  was  served  with  a  bowl  of  fish  broth  and 
a  small  piece  of  bread,  and  when  this  was  eaten  I  was 
ordered  to  the  landing,  to  one  of  the  boats  from  the  war- 
ship. By  this  time  there  were  probably  five  hundred  native 
people  gathered.  These  followed  to  the  boat,  declaring 
that  where  their  missionary  went  they  would  go,  too,  and 
saying,  "It  is  the  Catholic  priests  who  have  done  tnis,  with 
their  lies." 

The  news  of  the  arrest  had  been  heralded  during  the 
night  to  every  village,  and  boats  and  canoes  were  coming 
in,  laden  with  sympathizing  friends,  not  only  Church  mem- 
bers, but  full  as  many  that  did  not  belong  to  the  Church. 
They  said,  "E  mea  hama  teie"  (a  shameful  thing,  this). 
The  excitement  became  so  general  that  the  guard  was  in- 
creased to  about  twenty  armed  men,  and  the  prisoner  was 
urged  to  hurry  into  the  boat.  As  the  water  was  from  shoe- 
top  to  knee-deep  between  the  shore  and  the  boat,  I  at- 
tempted to  take  off  my  shoes  and  turn  my  pants  up,  but  I 
was  forbidden  to  stop,  and  was  crowded  into  the  vessel. 
When  I  reached  it,  it  was  full  of  sympathizing  men,  women 
and  children,  weeping  and  accusing  the  Catholic  priests. 
Fully  five  hundred  people  lined  the  shore,  some  with  rolls 
of  bedding,  while  others  were  laden  down  with  baskets  of 
cocoanuts. 

When  the  guards  arrived  with  their  prisoner,  the  boat 
was  ordered  cleared,  and  as  the  native  people  were  rather 
slow  to  obey  the  command,  the  soldiers  pricked  them  with 
their  cutlasses  and  bayonets.  I  was  urged  into  the  boat, 
which  was  soon  manned,  and  the  boatmen  soon  pulled  from 
the  shore,  while  many  scores  of  people  wept  aloud,  shriek- 
ing out  my  native   name,  "Iatobo,    Iatobo;   no  te   Catholic 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  22Q 

te  i  a  ne  peapea"  (James,  James,  of  the  Catholics  this 
trouble).  They  waved  handkerchiefs  as  long  as  we  could 
see  them. 

As  the  boat  was  going  out  to  the  ship,  it  ran  into  what 
seemed  to  us  to  be  hundreds  or  even  thousands  of  whales. 
For  a  while  the  sea  seemed  to  be  black  with  them.  At  the 
same  time  the  boatmen  took  in  their  oars  and  became  pale 
and  still  as  death,  lest  the  monsters  should  take  fright  and 
knock  us  into  eternity  and  the  boat  into  splinters.  The 
oarsmen  were  better  aware  of  the  danger  than  I  was,  and 
were  ashy  pale.  Indeed,  it  may  have  been  the  same  with 
me  for  aught  I  know,  for  I  did  not  see  my  own  face  as  I 
saw  theirs.  But  1  had  been  where  cattle  stampeded,  where 
the  wild  buffalo  was  rampant,  or  wild  mustangs  were  charg- 
ing by  thousands  on  the  plains  by  night  and  by  day;  had  been 
surrounded  by  packs  of  fierce  and  hungry  wolves;  had  been 
in  the  brush  when  grizzly  bear  were  thick  around,  or  when 
rattlesnake  and  deadly  viper  hissed  in  my  ears;  and  I  had 
been  chased  by  savage  Indians;  still  I  do  not  remember  a 
time  when  I  felt  that  every  hair  on  my  head  was  trying  to 
£et  on  end  more  than  I  did  for  a  few  moments  as  these 
great  sea  monsters  glided  past  so  near  that  we  could  almost 
put  our  hands  on  their  long,  black  backs,  while  they  shot 
by  swiftly,  spouting  the  briny  spray  almost  in  our  faces. 
The  thought  of  the  loss  of  the  boat  did  not  concern  me  so 
much  as  it  did  to  think  how  easy  it  was  for  a  whale,  at  one 
stroke  of  its  monster  tail,  to  make  of  us  convenient  shark's 
food.  While  in  this  truly  ^reat  peril,  minutes  seemed  hours 
to  us,  and  when  it  passed  we  breathed  freely  again,  and 
soon  gained  the  great  warship  that  was  lying  off  shore, 
for  there  was  no  harbor  or  anchorage  at  that  island. 

I  was  next  required  to  try  a  new  experiment,  to  me, 
that  of  climbing  a  rope  ladder  up  the  side  of  a  ship  as  the 
latter  rolled  and  pitched  in  the  waves.  After  a  struggle  I 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  deck  in  safety,   there  to   be   sur- 


2^0  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

rounded  by  the  marines  as  though  I  had  been  a  wild  beast. 
When  their  curiosity  had  been  satisfied,  I  was  ordered 
down  on  to  what  was  called  Swaltses'  battery,  the  gun 
deck.  There  I  found  that  as  I  walked  my  head  came  in 
uncomfortable  contact  with  the  beams  of  the  upper  deck, 
and  at  each  one  I  had  to  duck  my  head.  This  greatly 
amused  the  marines,  and  they  got  a  mopstick,  a  broomstick, 
or  any  kind  of  a  stick.  Some  would  press  the  sticks  on 
the  sides  of  their  noses,  while  others  held  theirs  back 
of  them,  poking  their  sticks  up  so  as  to  hit  the  beams 
above.  Then  they  would  form  into  a  squad  and 
march  by  and  duck  heads  with  me,  while  some  were 
giving  commands  which  I  supposed  meant,  -Left,  duck, 
left  duck" — at  any  rate,  that  was  the  action.  Then  they 
would  shout  and  laugh. 

Soon  meal  time  came,  and  I  was  conducted  into  the 
hold  of  the  ship,  and  there  assigned  to  a  small,  filthy  room. 
There  was  an  old  chair  in  it,  and  a  bunk  without  bedding. 
The  room  swarmed  with  cockroaches,  which  seemed  to  be 
thicker  than  flies.  I  was  served  with  a  bowl  of  fish  broth, 
and  one  small  loaf  of  bread  and  a  bottle  of  wine, for  the  day's 
rations.  Then  an  officer  called  me  to  follow  him  to  the 
upper  deck  and  to  the  bow  of  the  ship,  where  he  made  me 
understand,  by  unmistakable  motions,  that  I  was  to  use  the 
chains  for  a  water  closet.  In  disgust  I  remembered  that  I 
was  among  Frenchmen,  the  most  stylish,  the  proudest,  and 
the  most  fashionable  people  in  the  world.  I  was  an  Ameri- 
can, "honored"  with  two  uniformed  and  armed  French  at- 
tendants, who  never  left  me  alone  only  when  I  was  in  my 
room,  following  me  everywhere,  allowing  none  to  obstruct 
my  path,  and  even  being  careful  to  keep  me  from  falling  out 
through  the  portholes,  as,  when  I  leaned  over  a  big  gun  to 
look  out  upon  the  deep,  they  would  take  me  by  the  arm, 
lead  me  away,  and  show  me  the  big  hole  in  the  deck,  and 
my  room. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  23 1 

By  this  time  the  writer  began  to  understand  French 
courtesy,  under  some  conditions,  and  to  realize  his  own 
situation.  He  asked  himself  what  the  outcome  would  be, 
he  reviewed  every  action  performed  on  the  island  of  Anaa, 
and  could  not  see  wherein  he  had  trenched  upon  anybody's 
rights  or  done  anything  against  the  law.  He  failed  to 
discover  one  intentional  or  other  wrong;  so  he  felt  to  trust 
in  the  Lord,  and  made  himself  as  contented  as  possible, 
though  he  found  the  boards  in  the  berth  as  hard  as  Ameri- 
can boards,  notwithstanding  that  they  were  French 
lumber. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

VOl  \'.K  TO  PAPEETE— IN  A  TAII1TIAN  DUNGEON— CRUEL  TREATMENT— 
WBITE  TO  FRIEND  —  KINDNESS  OF  1  HE  AMERICAN  HOTEL  KEEPER 
-BROl'GUT  BEFORE  THE  GOVERNOR—FALSE  CHARGES  READ, 
AND  PLEA  OF  STOT  GUILTY  ENTERED— PERJURED  TESTIMONY 
AGAINST  ME— FORBIDDEN  T< »  LOOK  AT.  OB  EVEN  CROSS-EXAMINE 
WITNESSES— SECRECY  OF  THE  ALLEGED  TRIAL— DEMAND  MY 
RIGHTS  AS  AN  AMERICAN  CITIZEN— CONFUSION  OF  THE  GOV- 
ERNOR—RETURNED TO  MY  (ELL— AMERICAN  CONSUL  TAKES  DP 
.MY  CASE— GIVES  BONDS  THAT  I  WILL  LEAYE  THE  PROTECTORATE 
-ELDER-  AND  FRIENDS  CALL  ON  ME-MY  VISITORS  ALLOWED  TO 
SAY  BET  LITTLE,  AND  SOMETIMES  EXCLUDED— DECISION  OE  THE 
GOVERNOR  THAT  I  MIST  LEAVE  THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS— FAIR 
TRIAL  REFUSED  ME— LETTER  FROM  THE  AMERICAN  CONSUL- 
TAKEN  TO  THE  CONSUL'S  OFFICE— ADVISED  TO  LEAVE— ELDERS 
DECIDE  THAT  I  SHOULD  GO  OUTSIDE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PROTEC- 
TORATE—SET -All.   FROM  PAPEETE. 

ON  November  3rd.  185 1.  we  set  sail  for  Tahiti,  and  on 
the  6th  made  the  port  of  Papeete,  having  had  a 
rough  voyage.  When  the  ship  anchored,  a  police  boat 
came  alongside,  and  the  prisoner  was  ordered  to  try  his 
skill  at   climbing    down    the    rope    ladder.     He    promptly 


232  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

obeyed  orders,  and  soon  found  himself  locked  up  in  a 
cobblestone  dungeon,  six  by  eight  feet,  quite  damp,  and  so 
dark  that  not  a  ray  of  light  penetrated  it  anywhere.  For 
his  bed  he  had  a  board  dressed  out  like  a  washboard.  He 
had  a  good  mattress  and  pillows  and  blankets  of  his  own, 
but  thev  were  locked  up  in  an  adjoining  room  and  he  was 
denied  the  use  of  them.  What  the  object  was  he  never 
learned,  unless  it  was  done  to  punish  him.  He  remained 
in  that  condition  fourteen  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four,  and 
was  fed  on  bread  and  water  that  was  very  filthy.  The 
water  was  kept  in  a  small  keg  in  a  corner  of  his  cell,  and 
was  thick  with  a  green,  moss-like  substance.  In  an  oppo- 
site corner  was  a  different  kind  of  French  water  closet  to 
that  he  had  on  shipboard — a  keg  which  was  never  emptied 
during  the  prisoner's  stay  there.  Unlike  the  water  keg,  it 
was  replenished  often.  As  to  the  result  of  such  conditions 
in  that  hot  climate,  I  leave  it  to  the  reader  to  conjecture; 
for  I  had  enough  of  it  without  dwelling  further  on  the 
subject. 

On  November  7th  I  wrote  letters  to  Elders  Thomas 
Whitaker  and  Julian  Moses,  the  brethren  who  had  been 
assigned  to  labor  on  Tahiti.  On  the  8th,  one  Mr.  Lampher, 
proprietor  of  the  American  hotel  in  Papeete,  sent  me  a 
prime  dinner.  It  was  received  with  thanks,  and  was  duly 
appreciated. 

On  the  10th  I  was  called  out  by  the  turnkey;  immedi- 
ately an  armed  soldier  took  position  on  either  side  of  me, 
while  a  sergeant  stepped  directly  in  front,  then  moved  three 
steps  in  advance,  and  gave  the  command  to  forward  march. 
In  this  order  we  passed  two  lines  of  sentinels  and  went  to 
the  governor's  mansion,  where  we  met  another  officer,  who 
commanded  a  halt,  and  I  was  directed  to  be  seattd  for 
thirty  minutes.  Then  I  was  called  into  the  governor's 
office,  where  I  was  confronted  by  his  excellency  and  seven 
officers.     They    were   in   full    uniform   and    had   sidearms. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  233 

Each  had  in  his  hands  what  appeared  to  be  notes.  I  was 
at  once  ordered  to  be  seated,  and  the  very  profligate  son  of 
a  Protestant  professor  acted  as  interpreter,  read  the  long 
list  ot  charges  spoken  of,  and  asked  for  my  plea  thereto. 
I  answered  not  guilty. 

Then  the  trial  began.  They  placed  on  the  witness 
stand  a  native  named  Tania,  who  had  been  admitted  re- 
cently to  the  Catholic  church.  He  had  been  posted  in 
what  he  should  say,  but  seemingly  had  some  pangs  of  con- 
science, for  when  he  stood  up  he  turned  his  eyes  toward 
me,  then  to  the  court,  and  back  to  me,  and  answered  the 
questions  in  a  hesitating  way,  his  confusion  being  so  great 
that  the  governer,  through  the  interpreter,  ordered  me  not 
to  look  at  the  witness,  as  he  said  my  countenance  was  so 
fierce  and  vivid  as  to  baffle  the  most  substantial  witness.  I 
was  not  permitted  to  ask  a  question,  not  even  to  cross-ex- 
amine the  witness. 

The  next  testimony  came  from  a  man  who  had  been 
brought  to  Papeete  a  prisoner,  but  who  had  been  dis- 
charged without  the  formality  of  a  hearing,  evidently  that 
they  might  have  him  for  a  witness  against  me.  Both  he 
and  the  preceding  witness  were  put  on  the  stand  without 
being  sworn.  Not  a  single  spectator  was  permitted  to  be 
present,  so  I  concluded  that  if  it  was  a  court  at  all  that  was 
trying  me  it  was  a  military  court  martial. 

When  I  saw  how  onesidedly  things  were  going,  I  arose 
and  asked  the  court  what  right  it  had  to  try  me  with  closed 
doors,  not  even  allowing  me  the  opportunity  to  defend 
myself.  I  told  them  I  was  an  American  citizen,  and  claimed 
my  rights  as  such  under  existing  treaties  and  international 
laws.  I  quoted  law  that  I  had  never  read  or  heard  men- 
tioned, for  it  was  given  to  me  of  the  Lord  in  the  hour  that 
I  had  need.  I  can  never  forget  the  expression  on  the  faces 
of  those  officers.  Not  one  of  them  would  look  me  in  the 
eye.     As  I  spoke,  every  face  was  turned  downward.     At 

15 


234  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

the  conclusion  of  my  remarks  I  was  marched,  back  to  the 
filthy  cell,  without  another  word  being  said. 

About  this  time  Mr.  W.  H.  Kelly,  the  American  con- 
sul, called  on  the  governor,  and  on  making  inquiries  about 
me  and  my  alleged  crime  and  arrest,  was  told  that  I  was  a 
very  dangerous  man.  a  man  learned  in  treaties  and  inter- 
national laws.  "Why,"  said  the  governor  to  Mr.  Kelly, 
"he  can  quote  more  of  them  than  my  officers,  and  he  has 
great  power  and  influence  with  the  native  people.  He  is 
undoubtedly  a  military  man  of  no  mean  ability.  For  these 
reasons  he  cannot  be  permitted  to  take  up  his  residence  as 
a  minister  under  the  French  protectorate."  I  learned  the 
foregoing  from  Mr.  W.  H.  Kelly,  who  told  me  that  he  had 
to  sign  bonds  to  the  amount  of  fifty  thousand  francs,  and 
that  sum  would  be  forfeited  if  I  did  not  leave  the  protecto- 
rate by  the  first  vessel  sailing  from  port,  or  if  I  was  known 
to  preach  another  discourse  under  the  French  government. 

That  evening  Elder  T.  Whitaker  called  at  my  cell  with 
two  pies  for  me.  We  were  allowed  to  speak  but  few 
words  to  each  other.  When  the  prison  door  had  been 
locked  again,  I  wrote  to  Elder  B.  F.  Grouard,  who,  as  I 
learned  from  Brother  Whitaker,  had  arrived  in  port.  No- 
vember nth,  my  old  friend  Pahe  called  with  a  basket  of 
fruit,  which  was  admitted,  but  the  giver  was  permitted  to 
say  scarcely  a  word. 

I  had  a  call  on  the  12th  from  Elders  S.  A.  Dunn  and 
Julian  Moses.  Their  short  visit  gave  me  much  satisfaction, 
as  they  brought  news  from  home.  On  the  13th  Elder 
Grouard  and  some  other  friends  called  with  some  food,  but 
they  were  not  admitted,  the  food  being  passed  in  to  me  by 
t\  murderer. 

On  November  14th  I  was  called  before  the  governor's 
aide  de  camp,  who  said,  "I  suppose  you  have  heard  the 
decision  of  the  governor  and  his  council?"  I  told  him  no. 
He  then  said,  "They  have  decided  that  you  must  leave  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  235 

protectorate  fry  the  first  vessel  sailing  from  port,  or  you  will 
be  detained  until  you  are  willing  to  comply  with  that  decis- 
ion." I  asked  if  they  intended  to  send  me  away  without 
a  fair  trial.  He  said  yes;  that  the  governor  had  it  in  his 
power  to  send  out  anyone  that  raised  a  disturbance  in  the 
country.  I  asked  him  to  show  that  I  had  raised  a  disturb- 
ance. He  said,  "It  does  not  need  proof,  for  the  Mormon 
missionaries  have  caused  the  government  a  great  deal  of 
trouble,  and  the  decision  is  that  you  must  go  by  the  first 
vessel  leaving  port,  or  remain  in  prison  till  you  agree  to  do 
so."  With  this,  I  was  satisfied  that  there  was  no  redress 
for  the  wrong  that  was  being  done  me. 

I  was  then  marched  back  to  the  cell,  where  I  received 
a  letter  from  W.  H.  Kelly,  the  American  consul.  It  read 
as  follows: 

"Consulate  of  the  United  States,  Tahiti, 

November  14,  1851. 
•'J/r.  James  Brown: 

"Dear  Sir: — Having  been  informed,  through  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  protectorate,  that  you  are  a  state  prisoner  in 
Papeete,  charged  with  the  crime  of  rebellion  and  attempt- 
ing to  subvert  the  laws  of  the  protectorate  established  on 
the  island  of  Anaa,  I  am  bound  to  furnish  the  honorable 
secretary  of  state  of  the  United  States  with  all  charges  and 
punishments  to  which  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  may 
render  themselves  amenable,  under  the  laws  of  the  coun- 
tries in  which  they  may  reside. 

•'You  will  therefore  oblige  me  by  furnishing  me  with 
an  unbiased  and  clear  statement  of  the  facts  connected  with 
your  arrest  and  imprisonment.  I  do  not  wish  to  know  what 
has  been  told  to  you,  or  of  what  you  have  heard  from 
others,   but   simply     the  truth   of    the    whole    transaction. 

"This  letter  will  be  forwarded  to  his  excellency,  Gov- 


236  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

ernor  Bonard,  who  will,  through  the  proper  channel,  have 
it  forwarded  to  you. 

"I  remain,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 
"W.  H.  Kelly, 

"United  States  Consul." 

Elder  B.  F.  Grouard  kindly  came  down  and  wrote  my 
reply  to  Mr.  Kelly.  This  was  on  November  15th.  The 
same  day  I  was  called  out  into  the  yard,  when  a  sergeant 
and  two  soldiers  took  me  in  charge  and  marched  me  along 
a  back  alley  to  the  rear  of  the  consul's  office.  Then  the 
sergeant  stepped  forward  and  notified  Mr.  Kelly  that  they 
had  brought  their  prisoner  to  him,  and  without  further 
ceremony  the  officers  disappeared  by  the  same  alley  by 
which  they  came. 

Mr.  Kelly  welcomed  me  to  his  office,  and  congratu- 
lated me  on  regaining  my  liberty.  Then  he  told  me  of  his 
visit  to  Governor  Bonard,  the  conversation  they  had  had, 
and  about  his  signing  the  bonds  for  my  release.  He  said, 
"Mr.  Brown,  the  French  authorities  are  afraid  of  you- 
They  say  that  you  are  a  highly  educated  man,  and  that 
you  are  capable  of  doing  much  mischief  in  the  country. 
Now  you  have  your  liberty  in  and  about  my  office,  but  you 
must  not  go  off  alone  in  any  by-place,  for  the  French  are 
a  very  excitable  people,  and  they  will  watch  every  move 
that  you  make,  and  would  shoot  you  if  they  could  find  you 
alone  in  the  brush  or  where  they  could  do  it  without  being 
detected.  Now,  I  have  got  horses,  and  will  accompany 
you  to  any  place  you  may  wish  to  go,  to  visit  your  friends 
or  to  settle  up  what  business  you  may  have  to  do.  But 
you  must  not  be  caught  alone,  for  the  French  fear  that  you 
could  raise  an  army  and  cause  much  trouble.  As  your 
friends  are  in  town,  you  and  they  had  better  have  a  consul- 
tation here  in  my  office,  and  see  what  you  can  do." 

Accordingly,  the  Elders  came  into  the  consul's  office, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  2  37 

and  together  with  him  said  the  best  thing  they  thought 
could  be  done  was  that  I  should  go  on  board  the  little 
schooner  Ravai,  and  that  they  get  it  ready  for  sea  as 
quickly  as  possible,  so  as  to  leave  port  before  any  other 
vessel  did,  for  if  I  did  not  go  the  fifty  thousand  francs  would 
be  forfeited.  The  schooner  was  the  vessel  owned  by  the 
Saints  of  Tubuoi,  and  commanded  by  Captain  B.  F. 
Grouard;  it  was  bound  for  a  cruise  among  the  Tuamotu 
group  of  islands  before  going  to  the  island  of  Raivavai, 
four  hundred  miles  southeast  of  Tahiti,  and  outside  of  the 
protectorate.  It  was  thought  that  we  could  make  the 
cruise  intended,  and  then  go  on  to  Raivavai  without  any 
danger  of  forfeiting  the  pledge.  Conformably  with  this 
conclusion,  the  vessel  was  got  ready,  and  on  the  17th  we 
sailed  from  Papeete. 


238  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

LEAVING  TAHITI  UNDER  THE  ORDER  OP  BANISHMENT— SUPPLY  <>F  PRO- 
VISIONS EXHAUSTED— CAUGHT  IN  A  CALM— SUFFERING  FROM 
LACK  OF  POOD— REACH  TUBUOI— GO  ASHORE  UPON  INVITATION 
OF  THE  QUEEN— SAIL  FOR  BATS  W  \I— MEET  ELDER  PRATT  THERE 
—LEFT  ALONE  (>N  THE  ISLAND— SAVAGE  CHARACTER  OF  THE 
NATIVES— THE  GOVERNOR  A  FRIEND— VISIT  FROM  HOUSE  TO 
HOUSE— PEOPLE  GENERALLY  UNWILLING  TO  RECEIVE  THE  <;<  >S- 
PEL-COUNCIL  DECIDES  THAT  I  MUST  LEAVE  THE  ISLAND  OB  BE 
KILLED— A  TIME  OF  EXCITEMENT— STORM  PASSES  FOB  AWHILE— 
BAPTIZE  TWENTY  PERSONS-NOTED  CHIEF  AND  THE  HEIRESS  TO 
THE  THRONE  JOIN  THE  CHURCH—MORE  BITTERNESS  AND  EX- 
CITEMENT—TWO PARTIES  OF  NATIVES  MEET  TO  ENGAGE  IN  RAT 
TLB— MANAGE  TO  RECONCILE  THEM  AND  PREVENT  BLOODSHED— 
FURTHER  THREATS  AGAINST  THE  MORMONS— SOME  CHURCH 
MEMBERS  FEEL  TO  RETALIATE,  BUT  ARE  BE8TRAINED— PASSEN- 
GERS ARRIVE  WITH  FALSE  AND  SCANDALOU8  STORIES  ABOUT 
THE  MORMONS— PER8ECUTIOH  INCREASES— THE  FEW  SAINTS  ON 
THE  ISLAND  BECOME  SORROWFUL  AND  DI8COURAGED— PROTEST- 
ANT MINISTER-  ADVISE  EXPUL8ION  OF  THE  SAINTS— RENEWAL 
OF  THE  FAITH   AND  ZEAL  OF  THE  CHURCH   MEMBERS. 

AS  we  were  leaving  the  Tahitian  harbor  we  encountered 
a  strong  headwind,  and  beat  our  way  against  wind 
and  waves  until  our  little  schooner  became  somewhat  dis- 
abled. Provisions  began  to  be  scarce,  and  everything 
seemed  to  be  against  us.  Finally  we  changed  our  course, 
heading  for  Tubuoi.  When  we  got  within  about  eighty 
miles  of  that  island,  our  food  supply  became  exhausted; 
we  had  not  one  mouthful  on  board,  and  were  in  a  dead 
calm  for  some  time.  Then  a  gentle  breeze  sprang  up  and 
wafted  us  to  port,  where  we  arrived  on  November  29th. 
Before  this  relief,  however,  we  suffered  considerably  from 
lack  of  food. 

I  supposed  that  I  had  to  remain  on  board  the  schooner 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  239 

until  it  was  ready  to  sail  for  Raivavai;  but  when  Pitamai 
Vehene,  the  queen,  heard  that  I  had  been  banished  she 
came  off  in  her  own  canoe  and  invited  me  to  go  ashore 
with  her,  saying,  "This  is  my  island,  and  the  French  have 
no  right  here.  I  will  be  responsible  for  all  the  trouble  that 
may  arise."  As  the  brethren  and  general  authorities  of  the 
island  thought  it  was  safe  to  do  so,  I  accepted  the  invitation, 
going  ashore  in  the  queen's  canoe,  and  remained  on  the 
island  till  December  8th.  Then  I  boarded  the  little 
schooner  again,  and  we  started  for  Raivavai,  where  we 
landed  on  the  9th,  and  found  President  Pratt  in  good 
health. 

On  December  10th,  Elder  Pratt  sailed  away  in  the 
schooner,  leaving  me  to  take  his  place  in  presiding  over  the 
interests  of  the  Church  on  the  island.  Brother  Pratt's 
friends  became  my  friends,  and  gave  me  food  and  shelter. 
There  were  eight  Church  members  on  the  island;  all  the 
rest  of  the  inhabitants,  three  hundred  and  eighty-three  in 
number,  opposed  us.  many  of  them  being  the  most  savage 
and  rudest  I  had  met — in  fact,  they  were  scarce  removed 
from  cannibalism.  Some  of  them  did  not  hesitate  to  tell  of 
their  experiences  in  eating  human  flesh,  and  that  they  had 
sacrificed  infant  children  to  their  idols.  Thev  showed  the 
coals  before  their  heathen  gods,  where  they  had  roasted 
their  babes.  Some  of  them  felt  proud  to  relate  these 
things,  saying  it  was  in  their  heathenish  days,  before  the 
Gospel  had  come  to  their  land,  but  now  they  thought  it 
very  bad,  and  they  had  no  disposition  to  repeat  their  evil 
deeds. 

I  was  shown  to  the  house  of  Governor  Fate,  who  re- 
ceived me  very  kindly.  He  and  his  wife  had  received  the 
Gospel  on  Anaa,  and  although  he  was  the  legal  heir  to  the 
throne,  as  they  called  it,  through  his  joining  the  Church  he 
had  lost  much  of  his  influence.  But  he  was  a  verv  good 
man,  rendering  me  all  the  assistance  in  his   power,  while  I 


24O  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

visited  from  house  to  house,  trying  to  make  the  acquaint- 
ance of  the  people.  I  went  to  every  home  on  the  island, 
endeavoring  to  inform  the  people  on  the  Gospel,  but  they 
were  unwilling  to  give  heed,  and  treated  me  with  marked 
indifference,  often  passing  by  and  looking  as  surly  as  mad 
bulls. 

The  island  was  not  to  exceed  fourteen  miles  in  circum- 
ference, its  high  and  very  rugged  peaks  penetrating  the 
clouds,  which  nearly  always  were  hanging  over  and  about. 
The  mountains  were  so  steep  as  to  defy  all  but  the  wild 
goats,  of  which  there  were  some  hundreds  among  the  cragged 
rocks.  It  was  said  that  the  beginning  of  the  existence  of 
these  animals  on  the  island  was  that  a  sea  captain  had 
turned  three  or  four  pairs  of  them  loose  some  years  before, 
and  they  had  increased  to  hundreds. 

Having  satisfied  my  curiosity  by  traveling  over  and 
around  the  island,  visiting  the  ancient  places  of  worship 
and  seeing  the  heathen  gods  and  places  of  skulls  and  sac- 
rifice, I  again  called  at  every  house,  trying  to  become 
more  friendly  and  sociable  with  the  people;  but  the  same 
stolid  feelings  still  prevailed.  I  attended  their  meetings, 
told  them  my  business  in  the  land,  and  asked  the  privilege 
of  preaching  to  them.  Part  were  favorable,  and  part  were 
not.  I  baptized  a  few,  and  that  caused  much  excitement. 
A  council  was  called  to  adopt  some  way  by  which  the 
islanders  could  get  rid  of  Mormonism  and  the  American 
plant,  as  they  called  me.  Some  proposed  to  fasten  the 
"plant"  on  a  log,  and  tow  it  out  to  sea,  where  the  sharks 
would  eat  it,  while  others  suggested  burning  or  making  a 
roast  of  me. 

At  last  the  matter  was  carried  so  far  that  it  was  de- 
cided that  I  must  leave  the  island  or  be  killed.  I  learned 
that  they  had  just  about  decided  on  the  latter  course,  so  I 
hastened  to  go  before  the  council  to  try  and  allay  their  feel- 
ings, if  possible,   and   appease   their   wrath,  but   I   found  it 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  24I 

utterly  impossible  to  reason  with  them.  My  presence, 
instead  of  having  a  conciliatory  effect,  created  the  wildest 
confusion.  I  was  confronted  by  a  native  called  Tabate, 
who  was  a  very  stout,  heavy  set  man,  and  who  exclaimed, 
"I  will  slay  you!"  At  that  moment  my  friend,  Governor 
Fate,  stepped  between  us,  and  some  of  the  more  peaceably 
disposed  took  hold  of  Tabate,  while  my  friends  insisted 
that  I  leave  the  house  to  save  bloodshed,  saying  that 
Tabate  was  a  very  desperate  man,  but  if  I  left  the  room 
they  thought  the  council  could  restrain  him.  Accordingly 
I  withdrew  with  my  friends.  The  council  had  a  hot  time 
of  it  for  awhile,  but  finally  the  more  corsistent  party  pre- 
vailed, so  that  the  matter  passed  over  for  the  time  being. 
Still,  a  bad  feeling  rankled  in  their  bosoms,  and  I  could  hear 
threats  that  the  more  rabid  party  was  going  to  have  a  fat 
missionary  for  a  roast. 

Although  this  bitterness  continued  with  many  of  the 
people,  I  baptized  some  twenty  souls,  and  blessed  several 
infants.  I  also  administered  to  the  sick,  and,  as  I  can  now 
remember,  all  were  healed  but  one  child,  which  died  of  hip 
disease,  it  being  a  mere  skeleton  when  I  was  called. 

Other  councils  were  held  to  see  what  could  be  done 
to  get  rid  of  the  "plant  Mormonism,  from  America,"  be- 
fore it  spread  over  the  island  and  became  master.  But  the 
friends  and  relatives  of  those  who  belonged  to  the  Church 
would  oppose  any  harsh  measures,  saying,  "Wait  until  our 
missionaries  of  the  English  church  come  and  we  hear  what 
they  say." 

Now,  Elder  Pratt  had  baptized  one  man  who  was 
seventy-five  or  eighty  years  of  age.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  born,  and  his  feet  had  never  been  wet  in  salt  water. 
His  name  was  Tauteni  (thousand),  because  he  had  slain  so 
many  people  in  war,  and  he  could  count  skulls  in  his  mori 
or  place  of  skulls,  with  the  best  of  them.  He  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  taste  of  human  flesh;  had  been  a  great 


242  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

high  priest  of  the  natives  in  their  heathenish  days,  and  was 
supposed  to  have  great  influence  with  the  spirits  of  men. 
He  had  a  grand-daughter  who  was  said  to  be  the  heir  to 
the  throne.  This  girl  was  brought  forward  by  the  old  man 
for  baptism.  He  had  reared  her,  and  her  parents  being 
willing,  I  baptized  her.  This  created  great  excitement  and 
another  council  was  held,  where  feelings  ran  so  high  that 
it  was  very  hard  to  conciliate  our  opponents.  But  the 
old  man  told  them  that  it  was  his  and  her  father's  fault,  and 
not  the  missionary's,  that  she  was  baptized.  The  girl,  whose 
name  was  Teraa,  also  declared  that  it  was  by  her  wish  and 
not  mine  that  she  became  a  member  of  the  Church.  This 
cooled  them  down  a  little,  but  occasionally  local  difficulties 
would  arise,  and  the  natives  would  take  sides  and  arm 
themselves  for  war.  One  time  I  heard  the  shrieks  of  the 
women,  and  the  warwhoops  of  and  commands  given  among 
the  men. 

Although,  one  day  when  I  was  stopping  at  a  village 
called  Tatake,  I  had  heard  that  there  was  going  to  be  a 
battle  fought,  such  rumors  were  so  frequent  that  I  did  not 
pay  much  attention  thereto  till  I  heard  the  warwhoops  and 
shouts.  Then  I  jumped  up,  ran  out,  and  beheld  thirty  to 
forty  men  coming  from  the  upper  village,  Anatomu.  They 
were  armed  with  muskets,  and  were  in  their  war  costumes, 
dancing  and  going  through  the  manoeuvers  peculiar  to  the 
natives  just  before  going  into  an  action.  At  the  same  time 
another  party  was  approaching  from  the  inland  village  of 
Atibona.  These,  too,  were  ready,  and  with  their  drums,  whis- 
tles and  shrieks  made  quite  a  showing.  Still  there  were 
some  among  them  inclined   to  conciliation    rather  than  war. 

With  my  friends,  I  went  out  and  plead  with  the  two 
parties  to  be  reconciled,  and  finally  we  prevailed  so  that 
both  bodies  of  men  retired  without  fighting,  and  a  few  of 
each  party  met  and  shook  hands,  some  of  both  parties 
seeming  friendly  to  us  for  a  time. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  243 

For  a  short  time  after  this  we  had  comparative  quiet, 
yet  threats  came  about  the  Mormons,  and  there  was  talk  of 
taxing  us  for  the  support  of  the  Protestant  church.  Our 
brethren  claimed  rights  in  the  school  and  meeting  houses, 
but  were  refused  these;  then  they  threatened  to  burst  open 
the  houses,  and  came  to  me  to  get  my  sanction  to  do  so; 
but  I  could  not  consent  to  being  a  party  to  such  a  move- 
ment, knowing  that  would  give  the  enemy  the  pretext  they 
wanted,  in  order  to  carry  out  their  threats.  My  party  was 
not  pleased  with  my  position,  and  threatened  to  break  in 
the  houses  anyway,  and  assert  their  rights  to  occupancy. 
I  told  them  that  if  they  did  I  would  disown  them;  that  they 
could  not  be  my  brethren  if  they  indulged  in  anything  of 
the  kind,  as  it  was  for  us  to  be  on  the  side  of  peace  and 
defense,  and  not  to  be  aggressors.  Finally  they  said  they 
would  obey  my  counsel.  Then  things  passed  along  more 
smoothly  for  a  time. 

Soon  a  schooner  came  from  the  island  of  Ruruta,  with 
about  one  hundred  passengers  on  board.  The}7  brought  the 
alleged  news  that  all  the  American  Elders  had  left  Tubuoi, 
and  were  going  home.  These  passengers  also  seemed  to 
have  been  well  posted  in  all  the  old  slanders  about  the 
Church,  and  with  many  new  ones  about  the  Elders.  These 
slanders  were  industriously  circulated  by  the  new  comers, 
who  said  that  the  people  of  Tubuoi  were  glad  that  the 
Mormons  had  left  their  land.  From  these  stories,  and 
the  persecutions  the  Saints  had  endured  on  the  island,  the 
few  Church  members  grew  sorrowful  and  discouraged. 
When  I  went  from  Anatomu  to  Tatake,  1  found  two  of  the 
native  brethren  and  two  sisters  very  sad,  and  as  soon  as  we 
met  they  gave  vent  to  their  pent-up  feelings,  wept  bitterly, 
and  said  that  I  had  to  leave  the  island,  and  they  intended  to 
follow  me,  no  matter  where  I  went.  I  told  them  not  to 
fear,  and  tried  to  pacify  them  as  best  I  could. 

At  our  next  appointment  for  a  meeting  there  were  but 


244  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

five  out  of  thirty  attended.  This  seemed  strange,  for  there 
always  had  been  a  full  attendance;  but  now  everyone  was 
sad  and  gloomy.  The  spirit  of  mobocracy  seemed  to  thrive 
on  the  filthy  slanders  that  had  come  by  the  Ruruta  schooner. 
Meetings  were  called  and  threats  made.  Clouds  of  dark- 
ness lowered  and  filled  the  atmosphere;  the  spirit  of  death 
seemed  to  hover  around,  for  the  boisterousness  of  the  peo- 
ple had  given  way  to  a  sullen,  murderous  disposition,  more 
to  be  dreaded  than  when  there  was  abundance  of  noise  and 
threats. 

At  this  time  two  young  Protestant  ministers  came  and 
made  three  or  four  inflammatory  speeches,  telling  the  people 
that  they  had  admitted  a  wolf  into  the  fold,  and  if  they  did 
not  get  rid  of  him  the  ministers  would  not  call  again. 
"Drive  him  off,  and  pluck  up  that  American  plant,  or  it 
will  overshadow  your  land,  and  control  you,"  said  thev. 
Thus  the  wild  and  heathenish  passion  was  fanned  into  a  lively 
flame  of  renewed  persecution.  Yet,  strange  to  say,  when 
the  spirit  of  death  seemed  to  rest  most  heavily  upon  us, 
the  brethren  and  sisters  returned  to  me  with  renewed  zeal, 
and  all  but  two  men  stood  firm  thereafter. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  245 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

PEOPLE  GATHER  AT  A  FEAST.  .VXD  TO  DECIDE  WHAT  TO  DO  WITH  THE 
MORMONS— THREATS  TO  HAVE  BOAST  MISSIONARY— SAINTS  HOLD 
PRAYER  AND  TESTIMONY  MEETING— KEPT  AWAKE  ALE  NIGHT- 
COUNCIL  OF  NATIVES  DECIDES  TO  ROAST  AND  EAT  ME— FIRE  IS 
BUILT— MEN  SENT  TO  DRAG  ME  To  THE  COUNCIL— PROMISES  OF 
PRESIDENTS  BRIGHAM  YOUNG  AND  WILL ARD  RICHARDS  COME  TO 
MY  MIND— ALL  FEAR  I-  BANISHED— SAINTS  AND  THEIR  ENEMIES 
ORDERED  TO  BEPARATE— ALL  BUT  TWO  MORMONS  STAND  BY  ME 
— SUBLIME  COURAGE  OF  A  NATIVE  AND  HIS  WIFE— THE  CHARGE 
LGATNST >ME— I  APPEAL  TO  THE  BIBLE,  BUT  OUR  ENEMIES  RE- 
FUSE TO  BE  GUIDED  Bl  THE  LAW  OF  GOD-NOTIFIED  OF  THE 
DECISION  THAT  I  AM  TO  BE  BURNED — PIRIT  OF  THE  LORD 
BESTS  UPON  ME  IN  GREAT  POWER,  INSPIRING  ME  TO  DEFY  OUR 
ENLMIi: IMI.'IT  OF  CONFUSIOH  ENTERS  "I  B  FOES -THEY  QUAR- 
REL AND  FIGHT  WITH  EACH  OTHER— DIFFICULTY  IN  RESTRAIN- 
ING CHURCH  MEMBERS— DELIVERANCE  WHICH  THE  LORD 
WROUGHT  OUT  FOB  ME— 1  AM  ALLOWED  TO  PROCEED  UNMO- 
LESTED—MEET A  MEMBEB  OF  THE  COUN<  II.  WHICH  CONDEMNED 
ML  TO  DEATH— HIS  TEBTIMONX  THAT  A  PILLAR  OF  LIGHT  DE- 
SCENDED FROM  HEAVEN  AND  BESTED  ON  MF,  FILLING  THEM 
WITH  FEAR— NO  MORE  ANTI-MORMON  I  OUNCTL — NATIVE-  -ll<»\\ 
No  DISPOSITION   TO  i;E(  LIVE   HIE  GO8PEL. 

ABOUT  the  5th  of  May,  1852,  the  whole  people  were 
called  to  assemble  at  the  village  of  Tatake  and  pre- 
pare a  feast,  and  at  the  same  time  to  decide  definitely 
what  to  do  with  the  Mormon  minister  and  his  pipis  (dis- 
ciples). Everything  was  excitement.  The  young  braves 
came  armed  with  muskets,  shouting  and  yelling,  saying 
they  were  going  to  have  a  fat  roast  for  tomorrow,  while 
the  old  councillors,  twenty-five  or  thirty  in  number,  came 
with  slow,  quiet  steps  and  grave  countenances,  and  filed  into 
the  schoolhouse  just  at  dark.  Then  the  people  gathered, 
loaded  down  with  roast  pig,  and  fruit,  fish  and  poultry. 
They  kindled  fires  and  began  shouting,  singing  and 
dancing. 


246  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Soon  the  young  braves  were  dancing  around  the  house 
that  they  were  in;  for  by  this  time  every  member  of  the 
Church  had  come  to  one  place.  The  mob  seemed  to  be 
fully  enthused  with  the  spirit  of  murder,  as  they  shouted, 
"Tomorrow  we  will  have  a  fat  young  missionary  for  a 
roast!"  Just  then  they  fired  a  salute,  seemingly  under  the 
foundation  or  sill  of  the  house — a  frame  building.  Then 
they  commenced  to  tear  down  the  post  and  pole  fence  that 
enclosed  the  premises.  This  fence,  together  with  other 
wood,  was  piled  up  in  a  heap,  as  people  in  timbered 
countries  stack  timber  to  burn  it  off  their  land.  Then  the 
natives  covered  the  wood  with  coral  rock,  as  if  they  were 
going  to  burn  a  lime  kiln.  They  kept  up  a  continual  howl 
all  the  night  long,  firing  their  guns,  singing  their  war  songs, 
and  burning  their  camp-fires. 

While  this  was  going  on,  we  held  prayer  and  testi- 
mony meeting,  never  sleeping  a  moment  the  whole  night. 
Many  times  we  could  hear  the  crowd  outside  boasting 
what  a  fine,  fat  missionary  roast  they  were  going  to  have 
enanahe  (tomorrow.) 

Daylight  came,  and  the  village  was  all  alive  with  people, 
as  in  America  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  at  a  barbecue.  Soon 
the  feasting  began.  The  council  had  been  all  night  in  decid- 
ing what  they  would  do  with  the  Mormons  and  their  min- 
ister. The  provisions  at  the  feast  were  apportioned  to  each 
village  according  to  its  numbers,  and  subdivided  among  the 
families,  so  that  a  full  allowance  was  made  for  the  Mor- 
mon pupu  (party).  They  sent  to  me  the  portion  of  ten  men, 
saying:  "Here,  this  is  for  you,  Iatobo  (James),  eat  it  and  get 
fat  for  the  roast,"  laughing  contemptuously  as  they  did  so. 
By  this  time  the  whole  people  were  in  high  glee,  eating, 
drinking,  talking,  laughing  and  jeering,  as  if  all  hands  were 
bent  on  pleasure  only.  When  the  feasting  was  over,  all  be- 
came silent,  and  it  seemed  as  though  everybody  had  gone 
to  sleep. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  247 

By  i  o'clock  p.  m.  all  were  astir  again.  Two  great 
ruffians  came  into  my  apartment,  armed  with  long  clubs. 
They  said  they  had  been  sent  tj  order  me  before  the  coun- 
cil, and  if  I  refused  to  come  they  were  to  drag  me  there. 
Everybody  seemed  to  be  on  the  qui  vive.  As  quick  as 
thought,  the  promises  of  President  Brigham  Young  flashed 
through  my  mind;  also  the  promise  of  Dr.  Willard  Rich- 
ards, in  which  he  told  me,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel,  that  though  men  should  seek  my  life,  yet  I  should 
return  in  safety  to  the  bosom  of  the  Saints,  having  done  good 
and  honor  to  myself  and  the  Church  and  Kingdom  of  God. 
He  also  gave  me  instructions  what  to  do;  this  was  when  start- 
ing on  my  mission.  The  next  thought  that  came  to  my 
mind  was:  Have  I  forfeited  those  promises?  The  an- 
swer that  came  quickly  from  the  Spirit  was  no;  and  this 
drove  away  all  fear.     Not  a  doubt  was  left  in  my  mind. 

Without  hesitation  I  arose  and  walked  out  to  the 
beach,  where  the  people  had  assembled,  the  Saints  follow- 
ing me.  We  passed  by  the  log  heap  to  the  assemblage,  at 
the  head  of  which  stood  twelve  or  fifteen  stout,  athletic, 
young  braves,  with  hair  cut  close.  They  were  stripped 
naked  to  their  breechclouts,  and  were  oiled.  They  stood 
with  folded  arms,  and  certainly  seemed  formidable,  although 
they  were  without  weapons,  for  they  had  a  fierce  and  sav- 
age look  about  them  that  must  be  seen  to  be  realized  in  its 
effect. 

As  we  came  near,  the  man  Tabate  stepped  out  from 
the  crowd  and  said,  "All  the  Britons  stand  to  the  right  hand 
with  the  sheep,  and  all  the  Mormons  stand  to  the  left  hand 
where  the  goats  are."  Everyone  responded  to  the  order 
except  two  men  from  the  Mormon  party,  who  drew  off  to 
themselves  and  were  neutral.  At  that,  one  faithful  Mor- 
mon man  named  Rivae  and  his  wife  with  an  eight  months 
old  babe  in  her  arms,  stepped  forward,  well  knowing  what 
the  sentence  was  to  be.     This  brave   brother   said,  "If  you 


248  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

burn  this  man,"  pointing  to  the  writer,  "you  burn  me  first." 
His  heroic  wife  stepped  forward,  holding  her  babe  at  arm's 
length,  and  shouted,  "I  am  a  Mormon,  and  this  baby  is  a 
Mormon,  for  'nits  make  lice,'  and  you  will  have  to  burn  all 
of  us,  or  Mormonism  will  grow  again."  I  had  told  the 
people  the  story  of  the  massacre  at  Haun's  Mill,  Missouri, 
in  which  some  of  the  mob  shot  the  children  who  had  crept 
for  safety  under  the  bellows  in  the  blacksmith  shop,  the 
murderers  saying,  as  they  butchered  the  innocents,  'Nits 
will  make  lice" — Mormons  in  that  instance. 

Rivae  and  his  wife  was  ordered  to  stand  back,  while 
as  a  prisoner  I  was  called -to  take  a  position  in  the  space 
between  the  two  parties.  As  I  obeyed  the  command,  I 
was  confronted  by  Tabate,  the  spokesman  or  judge,  who 
had  been  the  chief  promoter  of  all  the  trouble  from  the  begin- 
ning. Said  he:  "Iatobo,  you  have  caused  the  people  of 
our  land  to  sin  by  having  them  to  travel  more  than  a  Sab- 
bath day's  journey  on  the  Sabbath.  You  have  also  taught 
the  people  that  God  is  a  material  God,  and  that  is  not  law- 
ful to  teach  in  our  land."  To  this  I  answered,  "Show  me 
where  the  teaching  is  wrong  from  the  Bible."  At  the 
same  time  I  opened  the  Bible.  A  strong  and  determined 
voice  told  me  to  shut  the  book,  and  put  it  up,  for  that  was 
the  law  of  God,  and  the  decision  of  the  landholders  and 
authorities  was  that  I  should  be  burned  to  death,  and  thus 
they  would  rid  the  land  of  Mormonism. 

Pointing  to  the  left  and  rear  of  the  prisoner,  to  the  log 
heap,  which  was  then  at  the  zenith  of  its  burning,  with 
haughty  demeanor  and  in  an  exulting  voice,  Tabate  said, 
"Look  there  at  that  fire.  It  is  made  to  consume  the  flesh 
off  of  your  bones."  In  that  moment  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
rested  mightily  upon  me,  and  I  felt  as  though  I  could  run 
through  a  troop  and  leap  over  a  wall.  "In  the  name  of 
Israel's  God,"  I  said,  "I  defy  ten  of  your  best  men,  yea,  the 
host  of  you,  for  I  serve  that  God  who  delivered  Daniel  from 


25O  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

the  den  of  lions,  and  the  three  Hebrew  children  from  the 
fiery  furnace !" 

Dear  reader,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  describe  the 
power,  the  cool  resignation,  the  unshaken  confidence,  and 
the  might  that  overshadowed  my  soul  and  body,  that  thrilled 
through  every  fibre  of  my  existence.  For  there  was  ab- 
solutely not  one  particle  of  fear  or  tremor  in  my  whole  be- 
ing. But  1  did  feel  thankful  for  that  great  and  marvelous 
deliverance,  because  in  the  very  moment  that  I  defied  the 
host  the  spirit  of  division  rested  upon  the  judge  who  had 
passed  the  sentence,  his  counselors,  and  the  executioners,  in- 
somuch that  the  counselors  faced  the  executioners,  and  they 
grappled  with  each  other  in  a  sharp  tussle.  From  that  en- 
sued a  fight,  until  the  whole  people  were  mixed  up  in  it. 

Even  two  of  our  old  tottering  Mormons,  Tautene  and 
Hauty,  came  in  with  their  clubs,  and  were  so  enraged  that 
they  actually  champed  their  teeth  together  till  the  froth 
filled  the  corners  of  their  mouths,  as  I  have  seen  it  with 
mad  dogs.  Both  of  them  had  been  great  warriors  in  their 
time,  and  could  boast  of  having  eaten  human  flesh,  but  at 
this  time  they  were  so  old  and  feeble  that  I  took  each  of 
them  by  the  arms  and  forced  them  from  the  fight  into  the 
house,  where  I  had  ordered  all  the  Mormons  to  go.  I  told 
them  to  stay  in  the  house  or  I  would  excommunicate  them 
from  the  Church.  As  they  seemed  to  be  almost  ungovern- 
able, I  gave  Fute,  a  priest  and  a  stout  man,  a  club,  and  told 
him  to  keep  them  in  the  house  if  he  had  to  knock  them 
down  to  do  it,  while  I  went  back  to  the  battleground,  picked 
up  my  Bible  and  hat,  and  returned  to  find  my  party  recon- 
ciled to  their  fate,  and  feeling  more  like  rejoicing  than  fight- 
ing. In  an  effort  to  free  himself  from  her  clinging  embrace 
Hauty  had  struck  his  wife  with  a  club.  This  was  before 
I  had  got  hold  of  him.  She  was  trying  to  keep  him  out  of 
the  melee.  The  woman  was  very  lame  for  weeks  after  re- 
ceiving the  blow. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  25 1 

During  all  this  time  our  enemies  quarreled  and  fought 
with  clubs  and  stones,  pulled  hair  and  screamed.  They 
did  not  cease  righting  till  sundown.  Then,  with  many  sore 
heads,  and  more  sore  limbs,  they  dispersed,  and  I  doubt 
very  much  if  the  majority  of  them  knew  what  they  had 
been  righting  for.  After  they  left,  a  feeling  of  quiet  and 
safety  pervaded  the  village,  especially  in  and  about  our 
residence,  such  as  we  had  not  before  known  on  the  island, 
and  for  weeks  everything  was  strangely  peaceful.  People 
who  once  seemed  surly  and  defiant,  now  had  a  tame  and 
subdued  expression  in  their  countenances,  and  appeared  to 
prefer  passing  by  unnoticed  rather  than  otherwise. 

Some  two  months  later,  I  was  traveling  alone  in  the 
timber,  and  at  a  short  turn  in  the  road  I  chanced  to  meet 
one  of  the  old  counselors  who  decided  that  I  should  be 
burned.  We  were  close  together  before  we  saw  each 
other.  At  sight  of  me  he  turned  and  ran  as  hard  as  he 
could,  and  I,  without  any  particular  object  in  view,  gave 
chase  and  ran  him  down.  I  seized  him  by  the  neck,  and  asked 
why  he  ran  from  me  and  why  he  was  afraid  of  me.  Said 
he:  "Your  God  is  a  God  of  power,  and  1  was  afraid  to 
meet  His  servant."  I  inquired  how  he  knew  that  my  God 
was  a  God  of  power,  and  why  they  had  not  burned  me 
when  they  had  decided  to  do  so.  He  answered:  "At  the 
moment  that  you  defied  us  there  was  a  brilliant  light,  or 
pillar  of  fire,  bore  down  close  over  your  head.  It  was  as 
bright  as  the  sun.  We  remembered  reading  in  the  Bible 
about  Elijah  calling  fire  down  from  heaven  so  that  it  con- 
sumed the  captains  and  their  fifties,  and  we  thought  tnat 
you  had  prayed  to  your  God  of  power,  and  that  He  had 
sent  that  fire  to  burn  us  and  our  people  if  we  harmed  you. 
The  young  men  did  not  see  the  light.  They  were  going 
to  burn  you,  and  we  tried  to  stop  them.  So  we  got  into  a 
fight.  Now  we  all  know  that  you  are  a  true  servant  of 
God,  and  we  do  not  like  to  meet  you,  out  of  fear." 


252  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

From  what  I  was  able  to  learn,  that  feeling  was  shared 
by  the  whole  community,  and  I  was  treated  with  great 
respect  ever  afterwards.  I  felt  freer  and  safer  when  alone 
than  ever  before.  Indeed,  there  never  was  another  coun- 
cil meeting  called  to  devise  a  way  to  get  rid  of  the  Mor- 
mons from  that  island,  while  I  remained  there.  But  for  all 
that,  the  islanders  did  not  want  to  learn  the  Gospel.  Yet 
ever  afterward,  when  they  feasted  I  was  always  remembered 
with  a  very  liberal  portion  of  the  very  best  they  had.  I 
do  not  remember  baptizing  another  soul  there  after  that 
event.  There  I  remained,  and  part  of  the  time  I  fished, 
also  hunted  the  wild  chickens  that  abounded  in  the  moun- 
tains— fowls  of  the  common  Dominique  variety,  which  had 
grown  wild  in  the  fastnesses  of  the  hills,  and  could  fly  equal 
to  the  sagehen  or  prairie  chicken. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

LONG  TIME  WITHOUT  NEWS  FROM  HOME— LETTER  FROM  ELDER  B. 
P.  GROUARD— RELEASED  FROM  MY  MISSIONARY  LABORS  IN  THE 
ISLANDS— LITTLE  OPPORTUNITY  TO  LEAVE  RAIVAVAI— NATIVES 
BUILD  A  SCHOONER— FAST  AND  PRAY  TO  LEARN  WHETHER  I 
SHOULD  SAIL  ON  THE  VESSEL-THE  ANSWER-SAIL  FOR  RAPIA— 
DRIVEN  BACK  TO  RAIVAVAI— MAKE  A  NEW  S TART— ARRIVE  AT 
RAPIA  —  RIDICULOUS  IDEA  OF  THE  PEOPLE  CONCERNING  A 
MORMON  ELDER-I  AM  FORBIDDEN  TO  GO  ASHORE,  ON  PAIN  OF 
DEATH— FEELING  IS  MODIFIED  SOMEWHAT,  AND  I  GO  ASHORE— 
BATTLE  BETWEEN  THE  NATIVES— AN  OLD  MAN  GIVES  ME  FOOD 
—ATTEND  A  MEETING,  GET  PERMISSION  TO  SPEAK  A  FEW  WORDS 
AM)  AM  ORDERED  FROM  THE  ISLAND-INCREASE  OF  SENTIMENT 
OF  TOLERATION— INVITED  TO  SUPPER  AT  THE  GOVERNOR'S— 
STRANGE  CUSTOM  OP  WOMEN  WAITING  ON  MEN— RATHER  THAN 
FOLLOW  IT,  I  SUBMIT  TO  BEING  CALLED  A  HEATHEN. 

WHEN  I  had  spent  seven  months  alone  on  the  island 
of  Raivavai,  without  any  news  from  the  outer  world 
or  perhaps  it  would  be   more  proper  to  say  inner  world — 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  253 

for  this  island  and  Rapia  are  as  near  out  of  the  world  as  any 
portion  of  it  can  be — I  began  to  wonder  when  I  could  hear 
some  tidings  of  the  brethren  on  the  other  islands.  I  had  not 
had  an  opportunity  to  leave  Raivavai  in  all  the  time  that  I 
had  been  there;  nor  did  I  have  the  slightest  idea  when  it 
would  be  possible  for  me  to  return  to  the  land  of  my  na- 
tivity, for  the  natives  told  me  that  within  their  memory  there 
had  been  seven  years  at  a  time  when  they  had  not  so  much 
as  seen  a  sail,  and  it  was  not  infrequent  for  from  one  to  three 
years  to  pass  without  a  vessel  calling.  Therefore  it  will 
not  be  thought  strange  when  I  say  that  the  time  became 
very  monotonous. 

Here  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  received  just  before  I 
did  leave  the  island;  it  was  from  Elder  B.  F.  Grouard, 
counselor  to  President  Pratt  in  the  presidency  of  the  mis- 
sion, and  bears  date  of  Papeete,  Tahiti,  April  18,  1S52: 

"Dear  Brother  J  ames  : — I  embrace  the  present  oppor- 
tunity of  writing  you  a  line,  perhaps  for  the  last  time  before 
leaving  for  California,  though  I  hope  we  may  be  able  to 
arrange  matters  so  that  you  will  be  permitted  to  come  here 
and  make  one  of  our  party  across.  The  governor  is  now- 
absent,  down  at  Raiatea,  consequently  nothing  can  be  done 
about  your  case  until  he  returns.  *  *  *  * 

"Wednesday,  21st. — Mr.  Kelly  has  sent  for  you  on  his 
own  responsibility.  You  must  be  careful  and  not  go  on 
shore  on  the  protectorate  islands,  but  be  sure  and  come,  or 
rather,  he  has  authorized  me  to  send  for  you. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  your  brother  in  Christ,  and 
fellow  laborer  in  the  Gospel,  B.  F.  Grouard." 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  I  was  released  from  fur- 
ther labors  in  that  mission.  I  also  was  without  any  means 
in  sight  to  get  away  from  the  land  that  had  been  so  fruitful 
of  troubles  to  me.  It  is  true  that  the  natives  had  a  schooner 
of  twenty  or  twenty-five  tons  burden  in  course  of  construe- 


2  54  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

tion,  but  they  were  so  uncertain  and  tardy  in  their  move- 
ments that  there  was  really  no  dependence  to  be  placed  in 
anything  of  the  kind  that  they  undertook.  Indeed,  it  was 
doubtful  whether  they  would  complete  the  vessel  at  all, 
though  six  or  eight  weeks  was  ample  time  in  which  to  fin- 
ish it.  Besides,  they  were  liable  to  get  into  a  quarrel  that 
would  cause  delay  for  many  months.  Again,  so  frail  was 
the  boat  that  it  did  not  seem  that  it  ever  could  be  safe  to  go 
to  sea.  Nearly  every  stave  and  brace  was  made  from  the 
bark  of  the  buru  tree,  and  twisted  by  hand.  The  anchor  was 
a  chunk  of  wood  with  old  scraps  of  iron  spiked  on  to  it,  and 
for  a  chain  the  same  kind  of  material  was  used  as  for  the 
stays  and  braces.  The  galley  was  only  a  square  box  of 
two  and  a  half  feet,  filled  with  soil  and  tied  down  to  the  deck 
with  a  bark  rope;  and  as  to  the  helm,  it  had  to  be  held  by 
hand,  taking  two  or  three  men  to  manage  it,  especially  in 
rough  weather.  The  compass  was  no  better  than  a  tin  plate; 
in  fact,  it  could  not  be  of  any  service  whatever — and  the 
sails  were  almost  rotten.  But  at  last  the  boat  was  launched, 
and  leaked  so  badly  that  it  did  not  seem  possible  to  make 
it  of  service;  but  the  natives  persevered  and  baled  it  out, 
and  it  was  soaked  up  until  the)'  considered  it  safe. 

This  boat  being  built,  it  seemed  to  offer  a  possible 
means  for  me  to  see  white  men's  land  again.  There  was 
no  one  for  me  to  advise  with,  the  very  men  who  had  planned 
my  destruction  being  the  owners  and  masters  of  the  craft. 
The  voyage  they  anticipated  taking  was  said  by  them  to  be 
seven  hundred  miles,  to  the  island  of  Rapia,  and  from  thence 
a  like  distance  to  Tahiti,  in  all  fourteen  hundred  miles.  The 
food  and  fresh  water  supply  was  also  very  uncertain.  The 
water  had  to  be  carried  in  large  gourds  and  cocoanuts.  Nor 
was  this  all  that  had  to  be  considered.  In  those  parts  there 
are  dense  fogs  and  rainstorms,  for  days  together,  so  that 
navigation  is  very  hazardous  where  there  is  only  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars  to  depend  upon,  and  these  obscured. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  255 

The  reader  will  perceive  the  gravity  of  the  situation 
that  confronted  the  writer  when  he  came  to  decide  what  to 
do.  As  the  time  drew  near  for  the  boat's  departure.  I  re- 
tired to  a  lonely  place  in  the  woods,  and  there  fasted  and 
prayed  for  three  days,  fasting  all  the  time  and  going  to  my 
retreat  to  pray  as  often  in  the  three  days  as  I  thought 
proper.  This  was  done  in  order  to  ascertain  from  the 
divine  Source  whether  or  not  I  should  take  the  risk  of  going 
on  that  vessel  at  that  time.  The  answer  came  plain  and 
distinct  to  mv  understanding,  though  not  in  words  to  the 
natural  senses,  yet  to  my  entire  satisfaction  that  all  would 
be  well  if  I  went.  From  that  moment  I  hungered  and 
thirsted,  but  had  not  done  so  before  in  ail  the  time  that  I 
had  fasted. 

Accordingly,  on  September  22,  1852,  I  engaged  pas- 
sage on  the  Raivavai  schooner,  bound  for  Rapia.  On  the 
23rd  I  went  aboard,  and  we  sailed  out,  but  some  of  the 
rigging  gave  way.  and  we  were  bound  to  return  for  repairs. 
On  the  24th  we  tried  again,  passing  out  of  the  harbor  with  a 
light  breeze,  at  5  o'clock  a.m.  There  were  sixty-two  souls  on 
board,  all  seasick.  On  the  26th  and  27th  there  was  a  dead 
calm.  At  daylight  on  the  28th  we  found  ourselves  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  island  and  very  near  it,  surrounded  by  hun- 
dreds of  great  whales.  Our  navigators  were  so  confused  that 
they  did  not  know  their  own  island  until  they  went  ashore. 
Again  the  rigging  gave  way,  and  we  had  to  put  into  port 
to  repair  it  and  to  replenish  our  food  supply. 

On  October  4th  we  sailed  once  more,  and  with  a  strong 
and  fair  wind  on  the  9th  wre  reached  the  island  of  Rapia, 
which  has  a  high  and  abrupt  coast  with  a  good  harbor,  but 
a  very  narrow  passage  thereto,  in  which  we  were  hailed  by 
a  fisherman  who  inquired  about  the  white  man  on  board. 
When  the  crew  told  him  it  was  a  Mormon  Elder,  he  hast- 
ened to  the  shore,  ran  to  the  village  and  told  the  people  that 
a  Mormon  Elder   was   on    the   schooner.     The  people  had 


256  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

never  seen  a  Mormon,  but  had  heard  the  most  ridiculous 
stories  about  us.  They  became  excited,  and  frightened  as 
well,  for  they  had  heard  that  Mormons  had  cloven  feet  and 
shells  on  their  backs,  and  were  some  kind  of  mongrel  be- 
tween man  and  beast.  They  also  had  been  told  that  the 
Mormons  were  so  lustful  that  it  was  very  difficult  for  the 
females  to  escape  from  them.  This  being  the  only  infor- 
mation the  people  had  about  the  Latter-day  Saints,  it  was 
no  wonder  that  the  men  armed  themselves  with  muskets 
and  fish  spears,  and  came  to  the  landing  or  lay  in  ambush, 
the  females  keeping  at  a  respectful  distance,  while  the  more 
brave  and  fearless  ventured  to  come  on  board,  inspect  the 
''animal,"  and  forbid  him  to  set  his  foot  on  shore  on  pain 
of  death.  Strange  as  this  statement  of  affairs  may  appear, 
it  is  nevertheless  true. 

At  length  a  number  of  the  people  came  on  board  and 
spied  around  as  if  to  discover  the  peculiar  features  of  a 
Mormon  Elder,  and  they,  with  my  friends,  thought  that 
possibly  it  was  safe  for  me  to  go  ashore;  accordingly  I  went 
in  the  first  canoe.  As  we  neared  the  landing,  six  or  seven 
men,  some  with  muskets  and  some  with  fishing  spears,  rose 
up  out  of  the  brush  and  tall  grass,  and  peeked  and  pried, 
as  they  afterwards  said,  to  discern  the  cloven  foot.  As  they 
could  not  discover  the  deformities  which  they  had  expected 
to  find,  they  said,  "Why,  he  looks  like  any  other  white  man 
or  minister;  we  do  not  want  to  kill  him."  There  were 
others  who,  however,  acted  very  surly,  and  would  not  speak 
nor  shake  hands,  but  told  my  friends  that  I  must  leave  their 
island  or  I  would  be  killed.  Finally  we  were  permitted  to 
go  up  to  the  village,  where  the  people  all  ran  together  to 
see  the  stranger.  None  dared  invite  him  into  their  houses, 
so  he  took  his  seat  out  on  a  log,  while  they  feasted.  His 
friends  joined  with  the  feasting  parties,  thinking  it  would  be 
better  for  him  if  they  were  sociable  with  the  people  and 
acquainted  them  with  the  supposed  monster's  customs  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  2^7 

habits,  as  also  with  what  he  had  been  teaching  the  peo- 
ple. 

Two  weeks  before  we  landed,  the  inhabitants  of  this  vil- 
lage had  had  a  battle  with  the  people  of  another  village  across 
the  island,  and  some  of  both  parties  had  been  killed,  while 
others  were  yet  suffering  from  their  wounds.  This,  I  sup- 
pose, had  something  to  do  with  the  spirit  of  murder  and 
bloodshed  that  hung  so  thickly  around  the  place.  When 
the  people  finished  feasting,  one  old  man  brought  me  some 
food  on  a  banana  leaf,  and  then  slipped  away  as  if  he  did 
not  wish  anybody  to  see  him.  To  me  it  seemed  a  case  of 
root  hog,  or  die.  or  at  least  it  was  to  eat  or  starve,  so  the 
kind  offer  was  thankfully  received.  I  found  the  admoni- 
tion of  Paul,  wherein  he  said,  eat  what  is  set  before  you, 
and  ask  no  questions,  for  conscience,  sake  appropriate  in 
this  case. 

The  bell  was  soon  rung  for  meeting,  and  the  people 
quickly  came  together.  I  met  with  them,  and  at  the  con- 
clusion of  their  services  asked  the  privilege  of  acquainting 
them  with  my  business  in  their  country;  for  myself  and 
native  friends  were  the  first  Mormons  who  had  ever  been 
there,  and  to  save  the  necessity  of  anyone  else  coming  I  felt 
it  my  bounden  duty  to  offer  them  the  Gospel,  as  it  has  to  be 
preached  in  every  land  and  to  every  people.  I  succeeded 
in  saying  a  few  words,  and  received  for  my  pains  an  order 
from  the  presiding  priest  to  go  out  of  the  house  and  leave 
the  island. 

Although  many  of  the  people  seemed  .to  sanction  the 
course  of  the  priest,  there  were  a  few  who  did  not  seem  to 
favor  it;  but  to  save  trouble  I  left  the  house.  The  people 
then  began  to  discuss  the  order  and  to  question  its  justice, 
as  we  had  been  mild  and  made  no  display  of  obstinacy.  At 
last  they  concluded  that  the  Mormon  was  not  quite  so  bad 
as  he  had  been  represented,  and  that  he  might  come  into 
the  governor's  and  have  supper  at  a  table  which  the   Prot- 


258  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

estant  ministers  had  furnished  for  their  own  accommodation, 
and  where  they  had  left  some  dishes  and  a  chair;  so  I  was 
comfortably  seated  at  the  table  and  the  food  brought  on. 
Quite  a  handsome  young  girl  of  about  sixteen  stood  by  the 
table,  and  as  soon  as  a  blessing  was  asked,  she,  with  her 
ringers,  tore  the  roasted  chicken  to  pieces,  stripped  the  flesh 
from  off  the  bones,  and  held  this  to  my  mouth,  saying, 
"There!" 

I  drew  back  a  little,  as  that  was  so  strange  a  custom 
that  I  did  not  appreciate  it.  The  girl  was  quite  dark  com- 
plexioned,  and  some  one  observed,  "She  is  so  dark  that  he 
thinks  she  is  dirty.  Let  her  get  some  soap  and  wash  be- 
fore him,  and  then  see  if  he  wrill  eat."  As  the  people  seemed 
so  strange  in  their  actions,  I  thought  there  was  some  trick 
to  be  played,  so  I  waited  until  she  had  washed  her  hands 
and.  in  obedience  to  orders,  stepped  up,  saying  that  her  hands 
were  clean,  "Look,  that  is  my  color,  and  not  dirt."  Still  I 
felt  dubious  about  taking  the  bait.  Then  she  was  told  to 
step  back,  and  another  young  lady  was  called  for.  This 
one  was  quite  fair,  with  rather  light  brown  or  auburn  hair. 
They  said  "Now  he  will  eat,  for  he  will  think  she  is  white," 
but  I  still  refused  the  courtesy.  Then  some  one  who  was 
standing  by  said,  "Let  him  feed  himself,  like  a  heathen." 
At  this  the  master  of  ceremonies  said,  "Why  do  you  not 
eat?"  I  tried  to  explain  to  them  that  it  seemed  to  me  to  be 
wrong  to  require  so  much  of  the  females — that  they  should 
prepare  the  food  and  then  stand  or  sit  by  and  put  it  into  a 
man's  mouth.  "Well,"  said  he,  "she  was  the  first  to  sin, 
and  she  ought  to  wait  on  the  man." 

At  this  an  old  man  who  lay  flat  on  his  stomach  with  the 
Bible  before  him,  opened  the  book  to  where  Paul  said  that 
when  he  was  in  Rome  he  did  as  the  Romans  did.  The  old 
man  had  his  hair  bushed,  and,  apparently,  the  very  brand  of 
heathenism  in  his  face.  I  would  have  thought  as  much  of 
looking  on  a  brush  heap  or  in  a  muskrat  house   for   intelli- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    [AMES    S.    BROWN.  259 

gence  as  to  have  anticipated  anything  smart  from  him.  He 
said,  "My  friend,  do  you  believe  in  the  Bible?"  I  said, 
•■Yes,  and  it  is  good  to  do  as  it  says."  "Then,"  said  he, 
"you  are  a  liar;  for  Paul  said  that  when  he  was  in  Rome 
he  did  as  the  Romans  did,  and  now  you  are  in  Rapia  you 
will  not  do  as  the  Rapians  do;  for  it  is  our  way  for  the 
women  to  put  the  food  into  our  mouths.  That  is  the  way 
we  do  in  this  land." 

Sure  enough,  I  learned  that  this  was  true;  for  when 
the  meal  is  ready  it  is  brought  into  the  room  in  baskets,  and 
the  male  portion  of  the  household  get  down  on  their  hands 
and  knees,  while  the  females  pick  the  bones  from  the  fish, 
pork  or  poultry,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  with  their  fingers 
put  the  flesh  into  their  masters'  mouths.  To  conclude  with, 
the  woman  dips  her  hand  into  a  dish  of  water,  and  wipes 
his  mouth.  Then  he  moves  away,  and  the  wife  and  daugh- 
ter take  the  scraps,  or  what  may  be  left.  It  is  considered 
as  great  a  shame  on  that  island  for  a  man  to  put  food  into 
his  mouth  as  it  is  in  China  for  a  Mongolian  to  have  his  queue 
cut  off.  But  to  me  it  seemed  so  ridiculous  that  my  stay 
there  was  too  short  to  make  it  seem  even  human.  I  did 
not  adopt  the  custom,  preferring  to  be  called  a  heathen  by 
those  who  did  practice  it. 


260  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

DETERMINE  TO  PREACH  TO  THE  PEOPLE— REFUSED  A  SOUSE— HOLD  AN 
OPEN  -AIR  M  BETING— STRANG  E  CONGE  I  :< !  A.TION— SI  X  OTH  Kit  MEET- 
INGS—VISIT  A  NATIVE  KING— HE  COMMANDS  ME  TO  LEAVE— I  DO 
SO  IN  ORDER  TO  AVOID  BEING  PUT  TO  DEATH— WATERMELONS 
AND  OTHER  VEGETABLES— NATIVE  TRADITION  OF  THE  PEOPLING 
OF  llll  [SLANDS— VISIT  OF  A  PROTESTANT  MINISTER— SAIL  FOR 
TAHITI— IN  A  HEAVY  8TORM— PRAYERS  BY  FRIGHTENED  NATIVES 
-I  AM  ASKED  TO  PRAY  WITH  THEM,  BUT  DECLINE  TO  FOLLOW 
THEIR  METHODS— REACH  THE  HARE  OR  OK  PAPEETE— AMERICAN 
CONSUL  OBTAINS  PERMISSION  FOB  ME  TO  LAND— GO  TO  WORK 
WITH  A  CARPENTER— WARNED  NOT  TO  BE  ALONE  LEST  I  SHOULD 
BE  KILLED— WATCHED  BY  GEN  D'  ARMES— TROUBLE  AT  ANAA, 
AND  ARREST  OF  NATIVE  MORMONS  — THESE  ARE  BROUGHT  TO 
PAPEETE— HOW  THEY  GOT  LETTERS  TO  .ME,  AND  THEIR  REPLIES 
—MY  FORMER  PERSECUTORS  OF  RATVAVAI  COME  TO  ME  FOR 
ADVICE,  AND  I  RETURN  GOOD  FOR  EVIL. 

AS  I  felt  the  great  need  of  reform  among  the  people 
of  Rapia,  I  tried  again  to  get  the  privilege  of  preach- 
ing to  them  in  their  house,  but  found  them  unyielding  on 
that  point.  There  were  three  native  brethren  and  their 
wives  who  had  come  with  me.  I  was  impressed  that  we 
ought  to  make  yet  another  trial  to  leave  our  testimony  with 
the  islanders,  so  we  went  out  by  the  side  of  their  meeting 
house,  which  was  a  frame  building  set  up  on  blocks  some 
eighteen  inches  or  two  feet  from  the  ground,  the  dirt  floor 
being  thatched  with  dry  grass.  We  stood  within  ten  feet 
of  the  house  and  commenced  to  sing.  Before  we  were 
ready  to  read  our  text,  it  seemed  that  everybody  in  the  vil- 
lage had  come  around,  but  not  in  the  ordinary  way.  They 
crowded  into  the  meeting  house  and  some  filled  the  win- 
dows, while  others  lay  down  and  poked  their  heads  out 
under  the  sills  of  the  house;  still  others  got  down  on  their 
hands    and   knees   some   five  or   six  rods   off  and  crawled 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  261 

along  through  the  shrubbery,  taking  hold  of  the  brush  as 
they  drew  near,  lying  flat  down  and  drawing  themselves 
along,  taking  sticks  and  poking  the  weeds  aside  so  they 
could  get  a  better  view.  With  this  most  singular  congre- 
gation before  us,  and  the  most  perfect  order  (for  it  seemed 
as  if  there  was  not  a  whisper,)  we  read  a  chapter  in  the 
Bible — the  third  of  Matthew,  I  believe — then  preached  on 
faith,  repentance,  and  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins.  At 
the  dismissal  of  our  services  the  whole  assembly  withdrew, 
and  after  that  I  had  lots  of  food,  such  as  it  was. 

We  held  seven  meetings  on  that  little  fragment  of  terra 
firma,  and  visited  the  king  in  the  west  village.  We  found 
the  royal  personage  at  home,  sitting  Indian  fashion  on  his 
couch,  half  naked.  He  appeared  to  be  a  man  of  unusually 
strong  character,  very  surly,  and  did  not  want  to  talk. 
When  I  attempted  to  tell  him  the  object  of  my  mission  to 
his  country,  his  neck  swelled  out,  and  he  began  blowing 
through  his  nostrils  like  a  mad  bull.  He  said,  "You  leave 
my  country."  By  this  time  my  native  friends  discovered 
that  danger  was  gathering  around  us,  and  told  me  that  we 
must  not  delay  one  moment,  but  must  get  away  as  quickly 
as  possible,  for  that  village  had  suffered  defeat  at  the  hands 
of  the  people  of  the  other  village,  and  we  could  not  be 
friendly  with  the  king  and  his  followers  if  we  were  to  the 
others. 

We  got  away,  and  afterwards  it  developed  that  my 
friends  had  foreseen  a  peril  that  I  had  not  fully  understood, 
for  when  the  king  said  we  had  better  get  away  from  his 
country,  that  was  his  ultimatum,  and  if  we  had  remained 
longer  every  one  of  us  would  have  been  slain,  as  the  peo- 
ple were  preparing  for  the  slaughter. 

On  our  retreat  I  observed  a  castor  oil  bean  tree  loaded 
writh  beans.  Its  trunk  was  as  large  as  a  man's  body.  I 
began  to  inspect  it  when  my  friends  called  out,  "Hurry  up, 
or  we  will  every   one  be   killed,"  so  we   hastened  to    more 


262  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

friendly  and  hospitable  parts,  where  we  came  across  a  large 
gourd,  or  calabash  vine,  and  a  watermelon  patch.  Never 
having  seen  anything  of  the  kind  on  any  other  island  where 
I  had  been,  my  inquisitive  propensities  were  set  to  work 
ascertaining  how  those  things  came  there.  Were  they  a 
spontaneous  growth?  If  not,  where  did  they  come  from, 
since  this  little  island  is  so  remote  from  all  others,  and  the 
natives  tell  me  that  white  men  seldom  visit  them?  I  inquired 
of  the  people  where  they  got  the  seed  of  the  vegetables 
named.  '-Why,"  said  they,  "our  forefathers  brought  them 
here." 

"Where  did  they  come  from?" 
The  reply  was,  "From  the  rising  of  the  sun." 
On  hearing  this,  I  asked  from  what  country,  and  was 
answered,  "We  do  not  know.  It  was  a  big  land,  so  big 
they  did  not  know  its  boundary.  It  was  a  land  of  food, 
and  of  great  forests  of  big  trees,  and  great  fresh  waters 
that  were  filled  with  fish." 

I  next  inquired,  "How  came  they  to  leave  such  a  good 
land?"  The  response  was  in  these  words:  "We  do  not 
know,  only  they  said  they  got  lost  in  the  fog,  and  were 
several  days  without  seeing  the  sun.  Then  the  strong 
winds  came  and  blew  them  over  here,  and  their  vessel  was 
wrecked  on  this  island.  They  never  could  get  back  to  the 
lands  of  their  forefathers,  so  they  stayed  here.  They  in- 
creased so  fast  that  all  could  not  live  on  this  land,  so  they 
made  canoes  and  tried  to  get  back,  but  the  winds  were 
against  them,  that  they  were  carried  away  to  the  west,  and 
for  a  long  time  those  left  here  supposed  the  others  were 
lost  in  the  sea;  but  after  a  time  it  was  learned  that  there 
were  other  lands  where  the  sun  goes  down.  Then  our 
people  made  canoes  and  went  to  them,  and  we  think  that 
is  the  way  these  islands  became  peopled,  for  they  are  the 
same  kind  of  people  as  ourselves." 

"Have  you  any  other  knowledge  of  your  forefathers?" 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  263 

"No.  we  do  not  know  anything  but  that  which  the 
fathers  have  said.  They  used  to  say  that  if  they  could  get 
back  to  their  fatherland  they  could  find  metal  to  make  fish 
spears  and  hooks  with.  When  the  first  white  men's  ship 
came  in  sight  we  tried  to  go  to  it,  thinking  we  could  get 
some  fishing  tackle  therefrom.  We  thought  that  vessel 
must  have  come  from  our  fathers'  land.  But  the  wind  was 
so  strong  we  could  not  get  to  the  ship,  and  it  was  a  long 
time  before  another  one  came.  Finally  we  reached  one, 
and  got  such  things  as  our  fathers  had  told  us  about." 

Read  the  Book  of  Mormon,  page  427,  63d  chapter, 
5th  to  9th  verses.  Was  the  ship  that  Hagoth  built  the 
same  that  was  wrecked  on  the  island  of  Rapia.  South 
Pacific  Ocean,  about  250  south  latitude,  and,  as  near  as  I  can 
find  out  from  French  charts,  time  reckoned  from  Paris, 
France,  in  longitude  140  west? 

The  reader  may  form  his  own  conclusions,  as  I  return 
to  my  narrative  of  our  stay  on  the  island.  When  we  had 
returned  from  our  visit  to  the  surly  king,  one  man  by  the 
name  of  Mesearee  opened  his  house  for  us  to  hold  meet- 
ing in,  but  very  few  attended  with  us. 

October  17th.  the  bark  Join  1  Williams  called  with  one 
Mr.  Piatt,  a  Protestant  minister,  on  board.  This  clergyman 
was  a  man  of  fine  address.  He  came  ashore  and  preached, 
then  sprinkled  all  the  infant  children  of  the  village.  Though 
very  pleasant,  he  refused  to  talk  with  me  in  the  Tahitian 
language,  saying  that  if  we  did  so  on  the  Scriptures  it 
would  cause  a  split  among  the  people.  I  insisted  that  he 
show  the  natives  the  scripture  for  his  mode  of  baptism,  but 
he  declined  to  do  that,  and  boarded  his  vessel  and  sailed 
away. 

October  27,  1852,  we  sailed  for  Tahiti.  On  the  29th 
we  encountered  a  very  heavy  storm,  so  severe  that  we  lost 
all  of  our  sails,  and  had  to  lash  two  of  our  strong  men  on 
deck  with  slack   rope  so   that   they  might   fasten   down  the 


264  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

hatch  and  companion  ways.  The  rest  of  us  had  to  go  be- 
low, for  the  sea  was  lashed  into  a  foamy  mass  as  white  as 
snow.  It  did  not  seem  possible  for  us  to  survive  the  terri- 
ble ordeal.  As  in  almost  all  similar  cases,  the  wicked  will 
pray — that  is  in  times  of  great  danger,  if  at  no  other  time 
— so  the  natives  who  went  below,  some  fifty-nine  in  num- 
ber, divided  themselves  into  three  praying  parties.  One  of 
these  occupied  the  bow,  one  stationed  itself  amidships,  and 
one  was  in  the  stern  of  the  vessel.  Then  a  man  in  one 
party  would  pray  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  and  so  on  with 
each  party  in  turn.  Thus  they  prayed,  passing  the  word 
back  and  forth,  as  long  as  the  sea  raged  in  its  fury. 

In  all  of  our  travels  together,  those  in  charge  of  the 
vessel  had  never  honored  me  with  a  request  to  attend  pray- 
ers, or  once  called  me  to  ask  a  blessing,  but  now,  in  our 
great  peril,  one  of  the  old  priests  found  his  way  in  the 
dense  darkness  to  my  berth,  and  said:  "Iatobo,  you  pray 
to  your  God  of  power,  to  spare  us,  that  we  may  not  die  in 
this  great  sea."  1  told  him  no,  for  I  had  done  my  praying* 
on  land,  before  I  had  boarded  the  schooner,  and  now  I  had 
all  that  I  could  do  to  hold  myself  in  the  berth,  that  I  might 
not  be  thrown  out  and  killed.  He  returned  with  a  grunt, 
and  commanded  the  rest  to  pray.  These  conditions  con- 
tinued for  six  or  seven  hours,  when  the  wind  abated,  and 
the  little  schooner  pitched  and  rolled  as  if  she  would  go  to 
the  bottom. 

November  1,  1852,  we  sighted  a  reef  called  Herehe- 
retue.  On  the  9th  we  came  in  view  of  Metia,  and  on  the 
10th  we  went  into  the  harbor  of  Papeete,  Tahiti.  It  was 
on  the  nth  when,  through  the  intervention  of  Mr.  Kelly* 
American  consul,  I  got  permission  to  land.  The  same  gen- 
tleman gave  me  an  introduction  to  one  Charles  Hill,  a  car- 
penter, who  was  rather  a  backslider  from  the  Mormon 
Church.  Still,  he  was  very  friendly,  and  said  that  if  I 
would  assist   him   in   carpenter  work  he  would  board  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  26^ 

lodge  me  until  I  could  get  a  passage  home.  Mr.  Kelly 
counseled  me  not  to  be  alone  anywhere,  as  a  watch  would 
be  kept  over  me  every  minute  I  was  on  the  island.  He 
said  he  would  not  be  responsible  if  I  preached  or  traveled 
out  of  the  town,  as  I  was  liable  to  be  shot  the  moment  that 
I  was  found  alone.  Said  he,  "The  French  are  more  bitter 
towards  you  than  ever.  They  seem  to  think  you  would 
turn  everything  upside  down  if  you  were  allowed  to  run 
at  large.  I  have  never  seen  them  so  excited  over  anything 
as  they  are  about  you.  They  are  actually  afraid  of  you, 
for  fear  that  if  you  were  permitted  to  go  among  the  people 
again  they  would  revolt  at  once,  and  there  would  be  another 
war."  He  also  said  that  he  would  arrange  matters  so  that 
I  could  go  with  Mr.  Hill  to  and  from  his  work,  and  if  we 
kept  close  together,  he  thought  it  all  safe,  as  Mr.  Hill  was 
well  known;  but  that  I  had  better  stop  in  his  office  till  he 
could  see  the  governor,  and  I  could  go  out  to  Mr.  Hill's  in 
the  evening  with  him,  as  he  lived  in  the  suburbs  of  the 
town.  Mr.  Kelly  also  told  me  there  had  been  more  trouble 
at  Anaa,  and  a  number  of  our  people  from  there  were  in 
prison  on  Tahiti;  and  further,  that  I  was  held  responsible 
for  all  the  trouble  on  that  island. 

It  having  been  arranged  for  me  to  stop  with  Mr.  Hill, 
he  called  for  me  in  the  evening,  and  next  morning  I  went 
to  work  with  him  at  his  business.  In  the  meantime  the 
news  of  my  arrival  on  Tahiti  spread  very  fast,  and  the  sons 
of  the  prisoners  from  Anaa,  who  had  followed  their  par- 
ents in  disguise,  and  could  visit  the  prisoners  one  at  a  time, 
put  pencil  and  paper  into  their  hands  on  the  sly,  so  that 
they  could  write  to  me.  Five  or  six  of  the  young  men 
dressed  themselves  as  the  regular  "toughs"  of  the  town, 
and  met  Mr.  Hill  and  me,  one  of  them  bearing  a  note  in  his 
hand.  When  they  got  near  us  they  began  to  dance  and 
sing  in  a  very  rude  manner,  acting  as  if  they  would  not 
give  any  of  the   road  to   us.     Then   they   pushed  the  one 

17 


266  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

with  the  note  against  me,  and  as  he  passed  it  into  my  hand 
the  rest  circled  clear  around  so  as  to  obscure  me  from  two 
gen  d'  armes  who  followed  us  day  and  night.  Then  the 
young  men  would  shout  and  laugh  as  if  they  had  done  it 
to  annoy  me  in  particular.  Thus  I  received  letters  from 
the  natives.  The  young  men  would  meet  us  again,  and  I 
would  pass  to  them  the  answers,  while  they  would  appear 
to  the  looker-on  to  be  running  against  me  purposely,  to  in- 
sult and  annoy  me.  Sometimes  I  would  try  to  show  my 
displeasure  by  scolding  at  them.  In  this  way  a  regular 
correspondence  was  carried  on  between  the  unfortunate 
prisoners  and  myself,  during  my  stay.  In  that  manner  I 
learned  that  there  were  twenty-three  of  them  in  prison, 
there  being  ten  Elders,  five  Priests,  four  Teachers  and  four 
Deacons.  On  the  12th  there  were  eight  more  prisoners 
brought  from  the  island  of  Anaa,  six  brethren  and  two 
sisters.  All  of  the  thirty-one  were  put  to  work  on  the 
steep  side  of  a  mountain,  to  make  a  road  up  to  a  fort.  The 
hillside  was  so  steep  that  some  of  them  fell  and  were  hurt 
quite  seriously.  Sometimes  the  prisoners  were  beaten  by 
the  guards  that  attended  them.  Their  provisions  were  very 
poor,  and  they  had  not  even  enough  of  that. 

I  will  again  mention  my  former  persecutors  of  the 
island  of  Raivavai,  with  whom  I  traveled  to  Tahiti,  for  they 
came  to  me  in  great  trouble,  and  said  their  schooner  had 
been  so  badly  damaged  in  the  storm  we  had  been  in  that 
the  French  had  condemned  it,  and  would  not  allow  them  to 
go  to  sea  again.  They  were  four  hundred  miles  from 
home,  without  money,  provisions  or  friends.  They  very 
humbly  asked  my  advice,  which  I  gave  freely,  telling  them 
to  state  their  case  to  the  French  authorities,  and  these 
would  be  bound  to  find  a  way  to  have  them  returned  home 
and  give  them  support  until  they  did  so.  This  pleased 
them  very  much;  they  seemed  to  appreciate  the  counsel  of 
one  whom   they  had   sat  in   judgment   and   helped   to   pass 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JAMES  S.  BROWN.        267 

sentence  upon,  ordering  him  to  be  burned.  Doubtless 
some  of  them  had  aided  in  gathering  the  fuel  to  make  the 
fire  for  the  burning.  I  condoled  with  them  as  much  as  the 
conditions  would  admit  of;  and  wrhen  I  came  to  part  with 
them  they  seemed  to  feel,  and  in  fact  said,  that  I  had  been 
a  true  friend  to  them.  They  wept  as  though  they  were 
my  near  relatives.  Thus  returning  good  for  evil  brought 
blessings. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

WATCHED  CLOSELY  BY  GEN  D'  ARMES  —  EXPERIENCE  WHEN  AT 
PRAYER— TAKE  DINNEB  WITH  REV.  MR.  HOWE— DINING  WITH 
A  CATHOLIC  BISHOP-IMPATTENCE  OF  THE  GOVERNOR— LEAVE 
TAHITI  ON  'Jin:  ABYSSINIA— CURIOSITY  OF  PASSENGERS  AND 
SAILORS— DIFFICULTY  IN  GETTING  OUT  OF  THE  HARBOR— HEAR 
OF  MORE  TROUBLE  AT  ANAA— CAPTAIN'S  COMMENT  ON  MOR- 
MON BOOK — A  WATERSPOUT—  CROSSING  THE  EQUATOR— EN- 
COUNTER A  TERRIBLE  STORM— A  TIDAL  WAVE— SHIP  SPRINGS  \ 
LEAK— PANIC  ON  BOARD -ALL  BANDS  TO  THE  PUMPS— STOPPING 
A  LEAK— FATE  WEATHEB  AGAIN. 

SO  far  as  my  own  conduct  was  concerned,  now  that  I 
was  again  on  the  island  of  Tahiti,  I  continued  with 
Mr.  Hill.  Two  gen  d'  armes  followed  us  or  hung  around 
where  we  were  at  work  all  day.  and  at  night  tramped  about 
the  house  where  we  lived.  At  daylight  the  night  guards 
disappeared  in  the  brush.  One  morning  I  stepped  three  or 
four  rods  into  the  brush,  for  my  morning  devotions,  and  as 
I  was  engaged  with  my  eyes  closed  I  hoard  a  rustling  in  the 
leaves.  Supposing  it  was  the  hogs  that  ran  around  there, 
I  paid  no  attention  until  I  was  through,  when  I  saw  two 
officers  standing  within  fifteen  feet  of  and  in  front  of  me, 
gazing  straight  into  my  face.  They  were  heavily  armed, 
but  did  not  interfere  with   me,   so   I   returned  to  the  house, 


268  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

while  they  mounted  the  fence  and  sat  there  till  we  went  to 
work,  when  they  followed  us  up  as  usual. 

During  this  time  I  met  with  Mr.  Howe,  the  presiding 
official  of  the  Protestant  mission  on  the  islands.  He  ap- 
peared to  feel  very  sympathetic  toward  me,  and  invited  me 
to  take  dinner  with  him  and  his  good  old  lady.  I  accepted 
the  invitation,  and  he  made  me  a  present  of  a  Tahitian  Bible, 
also  of  a  Tahitian  and  English  dictionary.  He  is  the  same 
Mr.  Howe  spoken  of  before,  when  he  was  so  radically  op- 
posed to  me,  but  now  he  seemed  charitable  and  kind.  After 
I  left  his  house,  and  was  passing  along  in  sight  of  the  Cath- 
olic bishop's  office,  the  bishop  sent  a  servant  after  me,  in- 
viting me  in  to  dine  and  wine.  Accordingly,  I  called,  finding 
him  a  very  polite  gentleman.  He  met  me  at  the  door  of 
his  library,  took  me  by  the  hand  and  courteously  led  me  to 
a  seat,  then  set  out  some  wine,  saying  he  was  very  sorry 
that  he  had  but  one  glass  of.  wine  in  the  room,  though  he 
set  out  two  glasses,  but  poured  all  the  wine  into  one,  which 
he  presented  to  me.  At  that  moment  the  saying  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  came  to  my  mind,  to  be  harmless  as  doves  but 
wise  as  serpents.  I  adopted  as  much  French  politeness  as 
I  was  capable  of,  divided  the  wine  into  the  two  glasses,  pre- 
sented him  the  one  with  the  most  wine  in,  telling  him  that 
I  could  not  think  of  drinking  alone — that  he  must  join  me 
or  I  should  decline  his  very  kind  offer.  I  thought  that  if 
he  could  stand  to  drink  the  largest  half  of  the  wine,  I  could 
afford  to  try  the  least  half,  and  as  I  preferred  him  to  drink 
his  first,  I  delayed  until  he  had  swallowed  it,  when  I  drank 
to  his  health.  We  had  a  sociable  chat,  and  he  insisted  on 
my  stopping  to  supper,  wl\en  he  would  have  plenty  of  wine. 
I  told  him  I  could  not,  as  my  attendants,  the  gen  d'  armes, 
were  waiting  patiently  for  me.  He  next  presented  me  two 
books,  telling  me  that  they  would  show  how  the  priesthood 
had  descended  from  Peter  down  to  the  present  pope.     The 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  269 

books  being  in  the  French  language,  were  of  no  use  to  me, 
so  I  bade  him  good-bye. 

I  learned  from  Mr.  Kelly  that  the  governor  was  impa- 
tient at  my  stay  on  the  island,  so  I  disposed  of  everythnig  that 
I  could  spare,  raised  sixty  dollars  thereby,  and  prepared  to 
sail  on  the  English  ship  Abyssinia,  from  Sydney,  Australia, 
and  commanded  by  Captain  George  Gordon. 

November  24,  1852,  I  boarded  the  Abyssinia,  paying 
sixty  dollars  steerage  passage  to  San  Francisco,  California. 
When  I  got  on  the  deck,  the  seamen  and  some  of  the 
passengers  crowded  around  me.  and  stared  at  me  as  if 
I  had  been  a  wild  beast.  When  I  saluted  them  with,  ''Gentle- 
men, how  are  you?"  they  looked  at  each  other  as  much  as 
to  say,  "Shall  we  return  the  compliment?"  At  last  one  of 
the  sailors  took  off  his  hat,  made  a  bow,  and  said,  "Please 
sir,  can  you  speak  English?"  I  answered,  "Yes,  sir,  a  lit- 
tle." The  next  question  was,  "And  are  you  a  Mormon 
Elder?"  My  reply  was,  "Yes,"  and  was  followed  with. 
"Well,  pardon  me,  but  I  thought  a  Mormon  Elder  had  a 
cloven  foot  and  a  shell  on  his  back,  and  I  expected  that 
you  would  be  brought  aboard  in  a  case,  as  I  have  been  tolu 
that  the  Mormons  were  a  kind  of  half  beast,  fierce,  and 
wild." 

Some  of  the  others   said   that   they   had   had  the  same 

ideas.     A  third  party  exclaimed,  "What  d d  lies   they 

have  told  us!  We  have  been  anxious  to  see  this  Elder  ever 
since  we  heard  there  was  one  coming  on  board,  and  we 
thought  to  see  you  brought  in  a  big  cage.  We  cannot  see 
any  difference  in  you  and  common  men."  So  much  for  wild 
and  slanderous  stories  afloat  in  those  days  and  in  that  part 
of  the  world. 

Shortly  the  vessel  was  got  under  way,  but  just  as  we 
entered  the  passage  the  wind  slackened  so  that  we  came 
very  near  being  crushed  against  the  reef.  Five  boats  from 
a  French  warship  came  to  our  aid,  as   we  had  cast  anchor 


270  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

to  save  ourselves,  and  the  Frenchmen  towed  us  back  to  a 
safe  location,  where  we  lay  until  the  26th. 

We  tried  it  again  on  the  27th,  and  as  we  passed  out  of 
the  harbor  we  went  close  to  the  French  warship,  which  was 
weighing  anchor.  On  the  deck  stood  the  Catholic  bishop, 
who  held  up  his  cross  and  made  signs.  He  said  there  was 
trouble  in  Anaa  again,  and  he  was  going  there. 

After  we  sailed,  the  captain  of  the  Abyssinia  asked  me 
to  lend  him  some  books  on  Mormonism.  I  let  him  take  the 
Book  of  Mormon  and  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants.  He 
returned  them  on  the  29th,  saying,  k'I  believe  the  books  and 
your  prayers  have  made  me  sick."  He  did  not  trouble  me 
any  more  about  Mormonism,  yet  treated  me  with  proper 
respect,  as  a  rule. 

There  were  several  male  and  female  passengers  on 
board,  a  portion  of  the  latter  being  of  the  lewd  class,  judg- 
ing from  their  actions;  and  the  former  were  not  much  bet- 
ter. I  loaned  all  the  books  that  I  had  to  passengers  and 
seamen.  Nearly  all  on  board  treated  me  in  a  courteous 
manner. 

On  November  30th  a  waterspout  passed  close  to  our 
ship,  causing  much  excitement.  Its  roar  was  frightful,  as  it 
carried  a  very  great  column  of  water  up  into  the  air,  and 
spread  it  out  into  the  clouds  like  a  whirlwind  on  land,  but  on 
so  much  larger  scale  as  to  be  a  dread  to  seamen. 

December  1st  we  sighted  what  the  captain  called  Flint's 
Island.  It  was  large  and  high,  and  appeared  to  be  in- 
habited. On  the  10th  we  crossed  the  equator,  where  the 
seamen  had  some  sport  at  the  expense  of  several  of  the 
passengers  who  had  not  crossed  it  before.  They  made 
preparations  for  Neptune,  and  told  many  stories  of  his 
pranks  with  those  who  dared  cross  his  path  without  paying 
penance,  or  treating  the  ship's  crew. 

On  the  20th  we  encountered  a  terrific  storm,  which 
carried  away  most  of  our  sail,  and  left   us  badly  damaged. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  27 1 

On  Christmas  day  we  had  something  like  a  tidal  wave  in  a 
calm  sea.  The  wave  was  so  great  that  it  swept  away  the 
main  topgallant  sail  and  the  jib  boom.  Two  seamen  were 
carried  below  for  dead.  The  ship  sprung  a  leak  in  the  bow, 
and  the  peril  became  so  great  that  all  the  seamen  and  the 
male  passengers  were  called  to  lend  a  hand.  It  being  in 
the  night,  the  consternation  was  so  intense  that  passengers 
were  on  the  deck  in  their  night  clothes,  screaming.  Some 
shouted  to  pray,  and  others  did  pray  with  all  the  fervor  at 
their  command,  especially  when  the  carpenter,  reporting  that 
the  vessel  was  parting  in  her  beams,  called  for  men  to  turn 
the  windlass,  and  for  kettles  of  hot  tar,  blankets,  calking, 
chisels,  and  anything  to  make  repairs.  As  the  wind  began 
to  freshen,  the  boat  headed  before  it,  without  any  regard  to 
course.     The  next  order  was,  "Down  with  the  hatches!" 

"Aye,  aye,  sir." 

"Then  sound  her." 

"Aye,  sir." 

"How  is  she?" 

"Gaining  water,  sir." 

It  was  hurry  to  the  pumps,  and  the  carpenter  was  asked, 
"How  is  she?" 

"All  right,  sir." 

"Heave  away  at  the  windlass!  Keep  the  pumps 
going!" 

The  carpenter  had  been  pinning  timber  across  the 
breach,  and  with  windlass  power  preventing  if  possible  the 
seam  from  spreading  any  more  until  he  could  make  it  safe. 
Blankets  were  dipped  in  hot  tar  and  driven  into  the  parting. 
With  these  efforts  and  by  keeping  the  pumps  going  steadily 
for  eight  hours,  the  boat  was  partly  freed  from  the  rolling 
sea,  and  at  length  was  patched  up  and  put  on  her  course. 
The  captain  then  said  that  his  greatest  fear  had  been  that, 
as  his  cargo  was  coal,  the  friction  of  the  fuel  and  the  water 
coming  in  below  would  cause  the  cargo  to  take  fire.    When 


2  72  LIFE    OF    A    PION.EER. 

we  got  righted  and  on  our  course,  we  had  light  winds,  and 
cold  and  wet  weather  until  the  voyage  was  ended. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

\i;i;i\K    \T  -AN    FRANCISCO— A   WRECKED  8HIP— THE    ABYSSINIA    CON- 
DEMNED—GATHERING  WRECKAGE— DRUNKEN  SAILORS— MY  TRUNK 

HELD  FOR  HOSPITAL  FEES— GO  ASHORE,  WHERE  ALL  IS  CHANGED 
AND  STRANGE— MY  DILAPIDATED  APPEARANCE  -SEEK  GUIDANCE 
OF  THE  LORD-WANDER  ALMOST  IX  DESPAIR— MEET.  AN  OLD 
FRIEND-FIND  A  HOME— MY  TRUNK  RELEASED— MEET  ELDERS 
GOING  ON  MISSIONS-WELL  TREATED  BY  SAINTS  AND  STRANG- 
ERS— PROYDDENCES  OF  THE  LORD-OUTWARD-BOUND  ELDERS 
ENTRUST  MONEY  TO  ME  FOR  THEIR  FAMILIES— ENGAGE  TO 
CARRY  MAIL  TO  LOS  ANGELES-ON  A  STEAMER  FOB  6 AN  PEDRO- 
TAKEN  SEVERELY  ILL. 

ON  January  8th,  1853,  we  passed  into  the  bay  of  San 
Francisco,  where  we  came  close  to  a  big  New  York 
clipper  ship,  fast  on  a  rock  in  the  passage.  While  we  were 
looking  at  the  vessel,  the  tide  came  in  and  lifted  it  up;  then 
it  dropped  back  and  was  smashed  as  if  it  were  only  a  match- 
box. Luckily,  the  ship  had  been  there  long  enough  to  be 
surrounded  by  boats  sufficient  to  save  the  passengers,  and 
perhaps  their  baggage. 

We  soon  dropped  anchor  from  our  dismantled  bark, 
which,  as  I  afterwards  learned,  was  condemned  as  being 
unseaworthy,  and  never  was  allowed  to  go  to  sea  again. 
The  seamen  on  our  vessel  went  to  picking  up  the  wreckage 
from  the  clipper  ship.  They  chanced  to  catch  a  barrel  of 
whisky,  when  the  captain  ordered  it  to  be  carried  below. 
That  made  the  sailors  desperate.  They  seized  an  ax, 
crushed  the  barrel  head  in,  and  each  seaman  dipped  with 
his   cup.       Within    fifteen    minutes    they    were    wild    with 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  273 

drunkenness.  They  armed  themselves  with  axes,  hand- 
spikes, belaying  pins,  marlinspikes,  and  any  and  everything 
they  could  lay  hold  of.  Then  the  officers,  and  some  of 
the  passengers  who  had  incurred  their  displeasure,  were 
made  to  hunt  hiding  places  below  in  doublequick  time. 
That  condition  did  not  last  long,  however,  before  a  com- 
promise was  effected,  the  captain  took  his  position  again, 
and  the  men  went  to  landing  passengers  and  baggage.  I 
got  my  trunk  ready  to  depart,  when  the  captain  demanded 
five  dollars  of  me,  for  hospital  fees,  he  said.  As  I  had  not 
so  much  as  one  dollar,  I  had  to  leave  my  trunk  and  go 
ashore,  very  sick  and  cold. 

When  I  reached  the  streets  I  found  things  so  changed 
from  when  I  was  there  before  that  I  felt  lost  in  the  throng 
of  people.  It  seemed  to  me  that  everyone  was  seeking  his 
own  gain,  regardless  of  his  fellow-men.  It  was  push,  ram, 
jam,  on  all  sides.  I  had  worn  my  clothes  pretty  well  out, 
my  hat  had  been  so  crushed  that  my  hair  was  showing  in 
the  crown,  and  my  shoe  soles  were  worn  very  nearly  off. 

In  this  condition  I  asked  the  Lord,  in  silent  prayer,  to 
show  me  what  I  should  do.  The  Spirit  said,  "Go  up  the 
.street."  I  was  then  on  California  Street.  I  obeyed  the 
whisperings,  until  I  got  near  the  top  of  the  street.  With- 
out any  consolation  the  thought  came,  What  shall  I  do? 
The  still,  small  Voice  said,  "Go  up  the  street,"  and  I  obeyed 
again. 

At  last,  almost  despairing  of  everything,  wholly  sick 
and  tired,  suffering  from  lack  of  some  refreshment,  and 
feeling  that  there  was  no  relief  for  me,  I  saw  a  man  start 
across  the  street  above  me,  and  from  the  same  side.  When 
he  neared  the  center  of  the  street,  he  stopped  and  seemed 
to  be  looking  at  me.  As  I  advanced,  he  turned  around, 
and  walked  back  two  or  three  steps.  By  this  time  I  started 
across  toward  him,  and  he  came  to  meet  me.  It  was 
Redick  N.  Allred,  of  the  Mormon  Battalion. 


2  74  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

We  did  not  recognize  each  other  until  we  went  to 
shake  hands.  He  said,  uHow  are  you?"  I  answered, 
"Tired,  sick,  and  hungry."  "Well,"  said  he,  "come  back 
across  the  street  with  me,  to  a  lunch  stand,  and  we  will 
have  something  to  eat."  Soon  the  inner  man  was  com- 
forted, when  Brother  Allred  told  me  there  were  thirty-six 
Elders  in  San  Francisco,  bound  to  foreign  lands  on  missions. 
He  led  me  to  some  of  my  old  friends,  and  I  found  John 
Layton,  whom  I  had  been  acquainted  with  on  the  Society 
Islands.  He  told  me  that  if  I  would  I  could  come  and  stop 
with  him,  and  chop  the  wood  and  do  the  marketing;  for  his 
wife,  being  an  islander,  could  not  talk  English  well.  I  ac- 
cepted the  kind  offer,  and  thus  was  provided  with  a  home. 

I  also  met  with  Major  Jefferson  Hunt.  We  saw  a 
Captain  King,  took  supper  with  him,  and  told  him  that  the 
captain  of  the  vessel  I  had  come  on  had  retained  my  trunk 
because  I  had  not  five  dollars  to  pay  the  hospital  fees. 
Brother  Badlam  gave  me  the  money  to  get  my  trunk,  and 
Captain  King  gave  me  a  note  to  a  custom  officer.  I  ob- 
tained my  trunk  after  I  had  paid  the  captain  of  the  Abys- 
sinia the  money,  and  1  followed  him  up  to  the  custom 
house,  to  the  officer  there,  to  whom  I  showed  Captain 
King's  note.  The  officer  gave  the  sea  captain  a  look,  then 
said  something  to  him,  and  without  a  word  more  he  re- 
turned me  the  money. 

I  next  visited  the  Elders,  and  attended  meetings  with 
them.  They  had  arrived  several  days  before  me,  and  had 
sold  their  teams  in  the  southern  part  of  California.  They 
had  also  taken  up  some  collections  among  the  Saints. 
Brother  John  M.  Horner  having  been  very  liberal  to  them, 
a  number  of  them  rendered  me  assistance. 

One  day,  as  I  was  passing  Widow  Tvins',  she  called  to 
me,  and  ran  out  to  meet  me,  saying,  "Here  is  ten  dollars 
that  a  lady  gave  me  to  hand  to  you,  and  here  is  thirty 
dollars  more  that  she  wishes  you  to  convey  to  that  body  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  27$ 

Elders  that  is  in  town,  to  help  them  on  their  missions."  I 
asked  the  name  of  the  lady,  and  the  reply  was,  "I  am  not 
at  liberty  to  disclose  her  name."  She  said  the  lady  was 
not  a  Mormon,  but  had  attended  our  meetings,  and  had 
stated  that  she  was  unworthy  to  be  personally  known  to  us; 
so  I  never  learned  who  she  was. 

At  one  time,  when  I  was  walking  along  the  street 
alone.  I  was  met  by  a  stranger,  who  offered  to  shake  hands 
with  me.  As  we  grasped  hands,  he  pushed  a  five-dollar 
gold   piece   into   mine.     I   said,   "What   does   this   mean?" 

He  replied,  "None  of  your  d d  business.     Take  it,  and 

bless  yourself  with  it.  I  have  money  due  me,  and  if  I  am 
successful  in  collecting  it,  I  will  see  you  again."  At  that 
he  dashed  away  in  the  busy  throng,  and  I  never  saw  him 
more,  that  I  am  aware  of. 

On  a  still  further  occasion,  I  was  met  by  an  entire 
stranger,  who  put  a  dollar  in  my  hand  and  said,  "Come,  let 
us  have  some  good  cider  and  cake."  I  begged  to  be  ex- 
cused, but  he  would  not  listen  to  it;  I  had  to  go  with  him 
anyhow.  We  stepped  to  a  lunch  stand,  where  he  said, 
"Let  this  man  have  what  he  calls  for;  I  want  to  catch  that 
man,"  and  away  he  went.  The  proprietor  asked  what  I 
would  have,  and  I  told  him  I  would  await  the  return  of  my 
friend.  He  said,  "Never  mind  him,  he  is  all  right;  he  may 
not  be  back  again  till  tomorrow  morning."  Then  he  in- 
sisted on  my  order,  so  I  took  some  crackers  and  cider;  but 
I  never  saw  my  friend  again.  Thus  it  seemed  to  me  that 
great  and  wondrous  were  the  mysterious  providences  of 
the  Lord,  for  I  had  landed  in  San  Francisco  on  the  8th  of 
January,  1853,  and  by  the  26th  I  had  seventy-five  dollars 
handed  to  me,  much  of  it  by  entire  strangers  whom  I  had 
never  seen  before,  nor  have  I  seen  them  since.  It  seems 
mysterious  to  me  how  my  way  opened  up  and  my  necessi- 
ties were  met. 

The    Elders  outward   bound   treated  me  very  kindly. 


276  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

They  fitted  themselves  out  for  their  several  destinations, 
paid  their  passage,  and  then  had  some  fifteen  hundred  dol- 
lars to  send  to  their  families,  with  their  photographs  and 
some  small  parcels,  all  of  which  they  entrusted  to  me,  with 
three  small  trunks,  to  take  to  San  Bernardino.  Of  the  money 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in  gold  was  put  into  a  belt 
and  girded  around  my  body;  the  balance  was  in  drafts  or 
checks. 

In  the  meantime,  some  of  the  Elders  had  met  with  Mr. 
Holliday,  overland  mail  contractor.  As  he  had  not  perfected 
his  arrangements  for  regular  mail  service,  he  made  some 
inquiries  of  the  Elders  about  sending  mail  sacks  by  chance 
carrier  to  Los  Angeles.  Thev  referred  him  to  me,  as  they 
thought  there  would  be  something  in  it  for  me.  He  called, 
and  I  agreed  to  take  charge  of  three  sacks  if  he  would 
deliver  them  on  the  steamer  Sea  Bird,  on  the  morning  of 
the  29th.  On  that  date  he  sent  the  sacks  just  as  we  were 
putting  off.  He  told  me  the  pay  would  be  all  right  when 
the  sacks  were  delivered. 

I  had  paid  thirty-five  dollars  for  my  passage  to  San 
Pedro,  and  we  steamed  out.  On  the  morning  of  the  30th 
we  landed  at  Monterey,  and  lay  there  till  4  p.  m.  During 
that  time  I  had  a  severe  chill,  followed  by  a  very  high 
fever,  which  held  on  till  next  morning,  when  a  heavier  chill 
came  on,  like  the  ague,  followed  by  fever.  I  had  made 
my  bed  down  on  some  nail  kegs  that  were  on  deck;  for 
the  boat  was  so  crowded  with  passengers  of  all  classes  that 
there  was  no  possible  chance  for  comfort.  It  semed  that 
everyone  was  seeking  his  own  convenience,  regardless  of 
his  neighbor. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  277 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

BECOME  DESPERATELY  ILL— NURSED  BACK  TO  CONSCIOUSNESS— KIND- 
NESS OF  AN  AGED  SPANISH  COUPLE— BELT  WITH  MONEY  EN- 
TRUSTED TO  ME  DISAPPEARS— INTENSE  ANXIETY— DISCOVER  THE 
MONEY— GREAT  SUFFERING— LAND  AT  SAN  PEDRO— LEFT  ON  THE 
BEACH— DRAG  MYSELF  TO  THE  SHELTER  OF  AN  OLD  WALL— 
KINDNESS  OF  A  SPANIARD  AND  HIS  AVIFE-A  TERRIBLE  NIGHT— 
SEEE  A  PASSAGE  TO  LOS  ANGELES  WITH  FREIGHTERS— REFUSALS 
—MEET  A  KIND  TEAM>TEK-PEA<  II  Los  ANi.KI.I-- Dl  WIPED  ON 
TIIK  STREET— FIND  SHELTER,  BUT  A  CHILLY  WELCOME— START 
NEXT  MORNING,  SICE  AND  HUNGRY,  To  FIND  A  NEW  PLACE— SO 
ILL  I  HAVE  TO  LIE  DOWN  IN  THE  STREET— TWO  FRIENDS  FROM 
SAN  BERNARDINO— AM  TOLD  THAT  I  HAVE  THE  SMALLPOX— MY 
FRIENDS  GTVE  MF  MONEY  AND  START  IN  SEAR<  II  OF  A  HOUSE 
WHERE  I  CAN  BE  (APED  FOR— FAILING  TO  SECURE  A  ROOM,  THEY 
ENG  \'.l  THE  I  in  MARSHAL  TO  GET  A  PLA<  E.  AND  THEY  LEAVE 
FOR  SAN  BERN ARDINO-I  WANDER  FOB  SHELTER,  BUT  DOORS  ARE 
CLOSED,  AND  PEOPLE  AVOID  ME— LODGE  IN  A  DOCTOR'S  OFFICE 
WHILE  THE  DOCTOR  IS  OUT— SCARE  THE  PEOPLE  BY  SHOUTING 
••SMALLPOX!"— THE  DOCTOB  RETURNS  PCI  LEAVES  ME  IN  POS- 
SESSION. 

ON  the  voyage  down  from  San  Francisco  I  grew  so 
desperately  sick  that  I  lost  my  reasoning  powers, 
becoming  so  delirious  that  afterwards  I  could  only  remem- 
ber removing  my  coat  and  vest  and  turning  into  bed,  on  the 
nail  kegs,  with  my  trunks  and  the  mail  sacks  about  me. 
The  next  thing  that  I  recall  was  in  the  after  part  of  the 
day,  February  ist,  1853,  when  I  began  to  regain  conscious- 
ness. There  was  an  old  Spanish  gentleman  and  his  good 
old  "mahara"  (wife)  rubbing  my  hands  and  feet,  while  a 
big  crowd  of  the  passengers  stood  around.  My  first 
thought  was:  What  does  this  mean — who  am  I — where 
did  I  come  from — where  am  I  going — -how  did  I  come 
here,  and  why  are  these  strangers  so  interested  in  me  as  to 
be  rubbing  my  hands?     The  next  thing,  the  old  gentleman 


278  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

brought  me  some  refreshments,  with  a  cup  of  coffee;  and 
when  I  finally  returned  to  consciousness  I  inquired  what 
had  been  the  matter.  I  was  told  that  I  had  been  a 
very  sick  man,  but  was  much  better,  and  would  soon  be 
well.  When  the  crowd  were  satisfied  that  the  worst  was 
past  they  dispersed,  but  the  old  gentleman  and  lady  sat 
near,  as  if  to  anticipate  any  favor  I  might  need.  Doubtless 
the  good  old  couple  have  been  gathered  home  to  their 
fathers  long  ere  this  writing.  If  so,  peace  to  their  ashes; 
may  they  in  no  wise  lose  their  reward,  for  they  adminis- 
tered to  the  suffering  stranger,  although  they  were  foreign- 
ers, while  my  own  countrymen  passed  rudely  by. 

With  consciousness  returned,  I  remembered  the  money 
that  I  had  in  charge.  I  felt  about  my  body,  and  to  my  sur- 
prise and  mortification  the  belt  was  gone.  The  next  thought 
I  had  was  that  I  had  been  robbed  by  some  one  on  board, 
and  I  wondered  what  could  be  done  to  regain  the  property, 
or,  if  it  could  not  be  recovered,  how  could  I  make  amends 
to  the  poor  women  and  children  whom  their  husbands  and 
fathers  had  sent  it  to?  How  could  I  prove  my  innocence 
to  them?  By  this  time  the  mental  sufferings  had  overcome 
the  phvsical  pain,  and  in  despair  I  drew  the  blankets  close 
about  me.  In  so  doing  1  felt  the  belt  of  money  lying  at 
my  back,  under  cover.  The  buckle  had  been  ripped  or  cut 
off,  most  likely  the  latter,  for,  as  I  learned  afterwards,  in 
some  way  it  was  noised  around  that  I  had  money. 

The  reaction  of  the  mental  faculties  was  too  much  for 
my  weak  state,  and  I  almost  swooned  away;  but  when  I 
fully  recovered  from  the  shock  to  my  nerves,  I  rolled  the 
belt  snugly  up,  and  raised  on  my  knees  with  my  blankets 
so  drawn  about  my  shoulders  as  to  cover  the  front  part  of 
the  trunk.  Then  I  placed  the  belt  inside,  at  the  same  time 
taking  some  article  out,  so  as  to  divert  the  observers'  atten- 
tion from  my  real  purpose;  I  then  laid  down,  suffering  writh 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  279 

a  terrible  fever,  and  put  in  one  night  more  of  great  wretch- 
edness. 

About  3  or  4  p.  m.  next  day,  February  2nd,  we  landed 
at  San  Pedro.  There  was  a  great  rush  for  the  shore,  and 
for  the  four  or  five  vehicles  that  were  in  waiting.  The  most 
of  the  passengers  seemed  to  be  without  baggage,  save  a 
roll  of  blankets  or  a  satchel,  and  as  the  the  writer  had  so 
much  and  was  sick,  he  was  the  last  person  to  land.  Every 
vehicle  was  gone,  and  all  the  passengers  were  out  of  sight 
before  he  got  his  baggage  ashore.  When  this  did  come, 
it  was  thrown  on  the  beach  just  above  high  water  mark. 

At  that  early  date  there  was  not  a  hotel,  boarding- 
house,  or  restaurant  anywhere  in  sight  from  the  landing. 
One  wall  of  an  old  adobe  warehouse  stood  near  by,  and  the 
only  thing  for  the  writer  to  do  was  to  seek  what  shelter 
that  wall  afforded.  Thither  he  dragged  his  effects,  then 
dropped  down  on  his  bedding  exhausted.  He  lay  there 
until  he  had  excited  the  curiosity  of  a  Spaniard  and  his 
wife  who  were  some  distance  away.  They  came  down 
and  asked  what  was  the  matter,  and  as  I  did  not  know,  I 
could  not  tell  them.  They  saw  that  my  face  was  swollen 
and  they  seemed  afraid  to  come  close,  but  inquired  what  I 
wished,  and  if  they  could  do  anything  for  me.  I  asked 
for  milk  and  bread,  which  they  supplied,  and  left  me  to  my 
fate  for  the  night. 

The  experiences  of  that  terrible  night  baffle  the  writ- 
er's powers  of  description.  Suffice  it  to  say,  he  passed  it 
alone,  with  the  heavy  mist  of  the  briny  deep  resting  upon 
him.  while  the  fever  and  thirst  seemed  to  be  consuming  his 
body. 

x\t  last  the  morning  light  came  through  a  dense  fog; 
but  by  8  or  9  o'clock  that  had  partly  passed  away. 
Some  freight  teams  came  down  from  Los  Angeles,  and  the 
sufferer  felt  somewhat  encouraged  to  think  there  was  a 
prospect  of  his  reaching  civilization   at  the  place  where   he 


28o  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

had  helped  to  rear  the  first  liberty  pole  which  was  to  bear 
aloft  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  the  Pacific  coast.  He  ac- 
costed the  freighters,  feeling  assured  that  he  would  not  be 
denied  a  passage,  as  he  was  prepared  to  pay  for  this  accom- 
modation. The  first  man  said  no;  he  had  all  that  he  could 
haul.  The  second  teamster  said  no,  he  was  not  doing  a 
passenger  business.  The  third  said,  "I  don't  know.  It  is 
too  d — d  bad  to  leave  you  here  sick.  I  guess  I  can  take 
you.  Throw  on  your  things  if  you  can.  and  hurry  about 
it."  When  the  writer  made  an  effort  to  do  as  invited,  the 
freighter  lent  him  a  hand,  and  when  the  baggage  was 
aboard  the  teamster  said,  "Come,  get  on  here.  It's  a  poor 
place  for  a  sick  man,  away  up  on  a  goods  box,  among  the 
bows,  but  it's  your  only  chance  with  me.  Up  there!"  and 
away  we  went  on  our  journey  twenty-one  miles  to  Los 
Angeles,  where  we  arrived  about  8  p.  m. 

Near  the  center  of  the  city,  on  the  sidewalk  at  a  street 
corner,  my  effects  wrere  dumped.  I  wandered  around  to 
find  shelter,  and  at  last  reached  Jesse  D.  Hunter's  place. 
Hunter  had  been  captain  of  Company  B  in  the  Mormon 
Battalion,  and  I  thought  I  could  do  no  better  than  stop  with 
him,  though  1  did  not  meet  anything  very  inviting.  I  was 
coldly  granted  the  privilege  of  dragging  my  blankets  into 
the  kitchen,  and  of  bunking  down  on  the  dirt  floor,  after  a 
light  supper  of  bread  and  milk,  the  first  food  I  had  had 
since  the  night  before.  But  I  was  too  ill  to  do  better,  and 
Mr.  Hunter  was  so  cool  and  indifferent  that  I  was  glad  to 
leave  his  place  next  morning  without  any  further  accommo- 
dations. 

I  started  out  alone,  and  turned  so  sick  and  dizzy  that 
I  had  to  lie  down  in  the  street  on  my  blankets.  While 
there  I  was  approached  by  Daniel  Clark  and  James  Bailey 
from  San  Bernardino.  They  asked  if  my  name  was  Brown, 
and  if  I  was  a  returning  missionary.  I  told  them  yes. 
They  said  they  had  heard  of  me,  and  that  I  had  the  small- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  28 1 

pox.  so  they  had  been  searching  the  town  for  me,  and  hap- 
pening to  see  me  lie  down  in  the  street,  they  became  satis- 
fied they  had  found  the  object  of  their  search.  Each  of 
them  threw  me  ten  dollars  in  gold,  and  went  in  search  of  a 
room  or  place  where  I  could  be  cared  for.  Failing  in  find- 
ing that,  they  called  on  the  mayor,  who  started  the  marshal 
out  to  hunt  a  place.  When  Clark  and  Bailey  had  done  all 
they  could — and  they  were  as  kind  as  they  could  be — they 
had  the  mail  sacks  delivered,  but  did  not  find  the  pay  that 
was  to  be  all  right  on  delivery.  Then  they  went  home  to 
San  Bernardino,  while  I  did  the  best  I  could  to  find  shelter, 
but  my  face  was  so  terribly  swollen  that  every  door  was  shut 
against  me;  and  when  the  news  spread  that  there  was  a 
man  around  the  streets  with  the  smallpox.  I  could  have  the 
sidewalk  to  myself  wherever  I  went. 

At  last  I  found  Dr.  Jones'  office  open,  but  dark  and 
with  no  one  in  it.  I  dragged  my  bedding  through  the  office 
to  the  bedroom,  where  I  spread  my  blankets  and  turned  in, 
leaving  the  door  open  and  lights  burning.  When  anyone 
came  to  the  door  I  would  shout  "Smallpox!"  and  it  was 
amusing  to  hear  the  people  run. 

About  11  p.  m.  the  doctor  came,  and  I  shouted  '-Small- 
pox!" Said  he:  "Who  is  here?"  I  answered,  "The  man 
whom  you  said  had  the  smallpox."  He  responded,  "All 
right,  but  I  would  not  have  had  it  happen  for  five  hundred 
dollars.  Be  quiet,  you  have  done  just  right.  But  how  did 
you  get  in?" 

"Why,  the  door  was  open,"  I  replied,  and  he  said:  "I 
never  did  such  a  thing  before  in  my  life.  It  must  have 
been  done  on  purpose  for  you,  for  it  was  not  fit  for  you  to 
be  out."  The  doctor  then  held  his  breath,  stepped  in  over 
me,  took  up  his  bed,  and  walked  away. 


18 


282  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

CITY  MA  USUAL  AND  DOCTOR  COME  TO  REMOVE  ME— TAKEN  TO  A 
DESERTED  HOUSE,  WHICH  HAD  BEEN  USED  AS  A  SHEEPFOLD 
—BEDDED  IN  SHEEP  MANURE -AN  INDIAN  NURSE  WHO  BECOMES 
FRIGHTENED — iPANISH  NURSE  SENT  TO  ME— IN  A  BOAT  WITH 
PATIENT  .ion— MY  PEVEB  DECREASE! — ATTACKED  BY  ROBBERS 
— RELIEVED  BY  CITY  MARSHAL  WITH  POSSE— MARSHAL  TAKES 
THE  MONEY  I  HAVE  IN  MY  CARE,  FOB  SAFE  KEEPING— SPANISH 
M  BSE  SCARED  OFF— QUEEB  SAILOR  NURSE— HE  DRINKS  WHISKY, 
SINGS  AND  DANCES— HIS  THOUGHTFUL  CAKE  OF  ME-YISITED  BY 
MY  COUSIN— KINDNESS  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  SAINTS— RECOVER- 
ING FROM  MY  DLLNESS— MY  CLOTHING  BURNED— HEAVY  EX- 
PENSE BILL  AGATN8T  ME— TELL  THE  CITY  MARSHAL  OF  MY 
ARRIVAL  IN  CALIFORNIA  AS  A  UNITED  STATES  SOLDIER  IN  THE 
MEXICAN  WAR— KINDNESS  OF  THE  MAR-HAL— LOS  ANGELES 
ASSUMES  THE  BILL  FOR  MEDICAL  ATTENTION  GIVEN  ME— START 
FOR  SAN  BERNARDINO— EXHAUSTED  ON  THE  JOURNEY— ALMOST 
DIE  OF  THIRST— RELIEVED  BY  A  PARTY  OF  SPANISH  LADIES 
—KINDNESS  OF  SPANISH  FAMILIES— ARRIVE  AT  SAN  BERNARDINO 
AND  MEET  FRIENDS  AND  RELATIVE8. 

EARLY  next  morning,  the  marshal  and  doctor  were 
there  with  suitable  refreshments,  and  when  the  pa- 
tient had  made  a  feint  at  eating  they  told  him  they  had 
secured  a  room  if  he  could  put  up  with  it.  Sheep  had  been 
kept  in  it,  and  it  was  smoked  very  black,  but  they  assured 
him  that  the  conditions  were  favorable  to  recovery  from  the 
disease.  Then  they  took  him  by  his  arms  and  assisted  him 
into  an  old  cart  that  they  had  standing  at  the  door;  they  had 
an  Indian  to  lead  the  horse. 

The  patient  could  not  see  a  particle  only  as  he  held  his 
eyes  open  with  his  ringers.  He  told  them  of  his  trunk,  which 
had  been  left  all  this  time  where  the  freighter  had  dumped 
it  when  the  writer  came  into  town.  The  trunk  was  brought, 
and  the  Indian  led  out,  the  marshal  and  doctor  bringing  up 
the  rear. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JAMES  S.  BROWN.        283 

When  we  passed  the  suburbs,  we  turned  to  the  right, 
to  an  old  deserted  adobe  house  of  two  rooms.  The  front 
yard  had  been  used  as  a  sheepfold.  The  doors  had  been 
broken  down,  and  the  sheep  had  had  free  access  to  the 
rooms,  until  the  sheep  manure  was  some  five  or  six  inches 
deep  on  the  dirt  floor.  The  rooms  were  very  poorly  lighted 
at  best;  and  to  add  to  the  darkness,  the  sheepherders  had 
camped  in  them  till  the  whole  of  the  inside  of  the  rooms 
was   smoked  as  black  as  a  stove.     The  doctor  said  it  was 

the  best  they  could  do,  adding:  "It   is   too   d d   bad  to 

put  you  in  such  a  place,  but  if  you  will  put  up  with  it,  it 
will  be  the  very  best  thing  for  you  in  the  end.  The  sheepy 
smell,  and  the  darkness,  with  some  ointment  that  I  will  give 
you,  will  prevent  your  being  marked;  whereas,  if  you  were 
kept  in  a  light,  clean  room,  you  have  got  the  disease  so  bad 
that  you  would  be  marked  all  over.  Then  again  you  have 
been  so  badly  exposed  that  you  must  put  up  with  the  treat- 
ment in  order  to  recover  properly,  lest  something  else  fol- 
lows." 

I  told  him  that  my  condition  was  such  that  I  was  com- 
pelled to  submit  to  any  treatment  they  saw  fit  to  give. 
Then  they  got  some  tools,  removed  the  dry,  hard  packed 
manure,  and  placed  my  mattress  down  on  the  dirt  floor,  so 
that  when  the  covering  was  spread  ready  for  me  it  was  just 
level  with  the  manure  on- the  front,  the  foot,  head  and  back 
being  against  the  walls. 

Having  turned  in,  I  opened  my  eyes  with  my  fingers, 
and  found  myself  in  twilight,  with  an  Indian  man  for  a  nurse. 
The  marshal  and  doctor  left,  saying  that  I  should  be  cared 
for.  Then  the  nurse  went  off,  and  soon  returned  with  a 
custard  in  a  coffee  basin;  this  he  said  was  worth  fifty  cents. 
He  brought  it,  and  an  iron  spoon  to  eat  the  custard,  but 
when  I  opened  my  eyes  in  such  an  unnatural  way,  they  ap- 
peared so  badly  bloodshot  that  the  nurse  took  fright  and 
ran  away,  leaving  me  to  my  fate  until  5  or  6  o'clock  p.  m. 


284  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Then  an  old  Spaniard, who  was  very  badly  pox-marked,  came 
and  said  he  had  been  engaged  as  a  nurse,  as  the  Indian  was 
so  frightened  at  the  disease  that  he  would  not  return.  The 
Spaniard  seemed  to  comprehend  the  conditions.  He  got  a 
Spanish  roll  of  bread  and  a  pint  of  milk  for  fifty  cents,  then 
straightened  up  the  bed  and  left  for  the  night.  Next 
morning  he  was  on  hand  to  attend  to  my  wants. 

This  was  on  February  6,  1853.  The  smallpox  began 
to  appear  in  pustules,  or  rather  boils;  for  it  so  resembled 
the  latter  that  I  began  to  think  of  patient  old  Job.  I  was 
sore  from  the  crown  of  my  head  to  the  soles  of  my  feet, 
and  yet  it  was  only  blisters  that  day,  comparatively  speak- 
ing. 

The  Spanish  nurse  seemed  to  understand  his  business, 
for  as  I  would  roll  and  toss,  the  old  gentleman  would  tuck 
the  bedclothes  about  me,  saying,  "Must  not  let  the  air  to 
you.  Must  keep  warm,  and  have  warm  drink,  and  have 
the  bowels  moderately  easy."  Then  he  would  apply  the 
ointment,  and  be  as  cheerful  as  possible,  doing  all  that  he 
could  to  divert  my  mind  from  my  sufferings. 

Night  came  on  and  the  blisters  enlarged;  I  became 
very  sick  at  the  stomach,  and  the  kind  old  nurse  stayed  by 
me  till  daylight  on  the  7th.  The  fever  still  raged  fiercely. 
Night  again  came,  and  the  nurse  got  alarmed  at  seeing  some 
six  or  seven  rough  men,  armed,  approaching  the  house.  He 
hastily  gathered  his  arms  full  of  cobblestones,  ran  in  and 
piled  them  on  the  edge  of  the  bed,  and  cried  out,  "Can  you 
fight r  The  robbers  are  coming.  Murder!  murder!"  At 
that  I  raised  in  bed.  opened  my  eyes  in  the  new  way?  and 
took  up  a  cobble  rock,  the  nurse  standing  by  the  bed  shout- 
ing "Murder!" 

The  next  moment  three  ruffians  appeared  at  the  parti- 
tion door,  in  the  house,  while  another  presented  himself  at 
the  window,  near  the  head  of  the  bed.  So  far  as  I  could 
see,  they  were   armed  with   revolvers   and   bowie   knives^ 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  285 

There  must  have  been  two  or  three  men  at  the  outside 
door. 

The  shock  came  so  suddenly  that  I  had  no  time  to  get 
thoroughly  scared  until  I  heard  men  running  around  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  house.  The  latter  noise  was  by 
the  marshal  and  a  posse  which  he  had  summoned  hastily, 
for  a  party  had  been  in  the  saloon  and  had  heard  the  ruffians 
say,  "Let's  go  and  rob  that  man  who  has  got  the  smallpox, 
for  he  has  got  money."  It  must  be  that  some  of  the  party 
had  been  the  ones  who  had  ripped  the  belt  off  of  me  while 
on  shipboard,  where  they  had  been  disturbed  before  they 
had  time  to  slip  it  away.  Thus  they  had  learned  about  the 
money,  and  when  they  got  to  drinking  and  gambling,  they 
probably  had  decided  on  robbing  the  smallpox  man  to  make 
a  raise,  but  had  talked  too  loud  for  the  success  of  their  plan. 
The  marshal  acted  so  promptly  that  they  were  foiled  in 
their  plot,  for  when  they  heard  him  and  his  posse  coming, 
and  the  nurse  shouting  ''Murder!"  thev  fled  to  the  southeast 
and  passed  over  into  a  dark,  deep,  brushv  ravine,  out  of  sight, 
just  as  the  marshal  and  party  gained  the  south  side  of  the 
building.  The  officer  said  he  saw  them,  but  had  not  time 
to  shoot  before  they  disappeared  in  the  brush  and  dark- 
ness. 

The  marshal  came  into  the  house  and  informed  me  of 
the  plot  and  how  he  came  to  hear  of  it.  He  said,  "Now,  if 
you  have  any  money  or  valuable  papers,  you  had  better 
send  for  some  trusty  friend  to  come  and  take  care  of  them. 
I  will  send  for  anyone  that  you  will  name."  I  told  him  I 
did  not  know  of  a  better  friend  than  the  one  who  had  come 
to  my  relief,  and  if  he,  the  marshal,  would  take  care  of  the 
valuables,  I  would  be  much  obliged.  He  said  he  would  take 
charge  of  them  and  have  them  deposited  for  safekeeping 
till  I  wanted  them.  I  then  handed  out  my  memorandum 
book,  with  the  names  of  the  men  who  sent  the  money,  the 
amounts,  and   the   names   of  those   to   whom   it   was  sent. 


286  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Then,  my  eyes  being  propped  open,  I  poured  the  money 
on  to  a  handkerchief  they  had  spread  over  my  lap.  As  the 
money  was  mostly  in  gold  ten  and  twenty  dollar  pieces,  in 
fifty  dollar  packages,  it  was  easily  and  quickly  counted,  and 
found  to  tally  with  the  memoranda.  Then  the  drafts  and 
checks  were  counted,  and  all  put  together  in  the  belt — some 
fifteen  hundred  dollars — and  handed  over  to  the  marshal, 
with  Dr.  Jones  as  witness. 

When  the  gold  was  being  counted  out,  some  of  the 
would-be  robbers  appeared  at  the  window,  and  doubtless 
saw  that  the  marshal  was  taking  charge  of  the  valuables, 
by  which  action  their  plot  fell  through,  and  I  was  not 
troubled  any  more.  But  the  experience  was  enough  for 
the  Spanish  nurse,  for  the  robbers  undoubtedly  were  Span- 
iards or  "greasers,"  and  if  they  could  take  revenge  on  him 
they  would  do  it.  Some  of  the  marshal's  posse  stayed  till 
they  felt  satisfied  the  danger  was  all  over,  then  they,  with 
the  nurse,  left,  and  next  day  sent  to  me  an  old  badly  pox- 
marked  sailor  for  an  attendant.  He  came  in  with  a  bottle 
of  whisky  that  he  said  was  a  hundred  years  old. 

The  first  thing  the  new  nurse  said  was,  "Hello,  old 
chum!  What  are  you  doing  there?  Come,  and  have  a  drink 
with  me."  The  next  breath  he  said,  "No,  no,  for  I  know  it 
would  not  do  for  you.  I  will  drink  for  you.  So  here  goes."  He 
then  took  a  liberal  draught,  and  wanted  to  know  what  he  could 
do  for  my  comfort.  On  being  told  there  was  nothing  I 
wanted  just  then,  he  said,  "Let  me  sing  you  a  song,"  and 
he  sang  a  very  comical  ditty.  Then  he  said,  "I'll  dance  a 
jig  for  you,"  and  at  it  he  went.  In  the  performance  he 
kicked  the  dry  manure  pretty  nearly  all  over  me  and  my 
bed,  for  he  was  "three  sheets  in  the  wind  and  the  fourth 
fluttering"  (three-fourths  drunk,  or  more.) 

When  he  saw  what  he  had  done,  he  dropped  on  his 
knees  and  begged  pardon,  making  the  most  humble  apology. 
Said  he,  "Never  mind,  old  chum,  just  lay  over  to  starboard, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  287 

and  I  will  make  it  all  right."  He  brushed  and  brushed 
away,  then  said,  "Now  to  larboard,  and  I  will  fix  you  all 
right."  So  he  pounded  away,  talking  all  the  time  in  his 
sailor  phrases.  Finally  he  partially  sobered  up,  and  it  would 
have  been  hard  to  find  a  more  thoughtful  and  attentive  nurse. 
From  that  time  on  he  stayed  with  me,  told  many  interesting 
sea  stories,  and  sang  love  songs. 

On  February  ioth  my  cousin,  John  M.  Brown,  who  was 
passing  through  that  part  of  the  country,  came  to  the  door 
and  called.  "Is  that  you.  James?"  At  the  same  time  he 
threw  a  ten  dollar  gold  piece  on  the  bed;  but  not  having 
had  the  smallpox,  he  dare  not  come  in.  We  had  not  met 
before  in  eight  years.  At  that  date  I  was  suffering  in- 
tensely, if  not  the  worst  that  I  had  done,  for  I  was  down  so 
weak  that  I  could  not  help  myself  at  all. 

On  the  nth,  W.  G.  Sherwood,  of  San  Bernardino, 
came  in,  saying  that  the  Saints  had  raised  some  money  for 
me,  and  had  sent  him  to  take  care  of  me  until  I  was  able  to 
come  out  to  them.  Brothers  D.  Clark  and  J.  Bailey  had 
told  President  Seeley  of  my  condition.  I  felt  indeed  very 
thankful  for  the  favors  shown  me. 

On  the  14th  the  smallpox  had  nearly  died  away,  and 
by  the  19th  I  was  considered  oui  of  all  danger,  with  pru- 
dence. On  the  20th,  the  doctor  and  marshal  came  and 
ordered  all  of  my  bedding  and  a  good  suit  of  clothes  that  I  had 
on  w^hen  taken  down,  boots,  hat,  and  all,  piled  in  the  yard, 
and  there  burned.  They  said  my  expenses  had  been  five 
dollars  per  day  for  the  house,  because  of  the  disease  and 
being  close  to  where  the  landlord  and  his  family  lived. 
The  nurses  also  had  to  be  paid  the  same  amount  per  day. 
I  told  them  I  had  been  out  on  a  long  mission  at  my  own  ex- 
pense, and  now  had  so  little  money  that  it  would  cost  me 
every  dollar  that  I  had  to  meet  the  loss  of  my  clothes  and 
bedding,  so  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  settle  such  a  bill, 
one  hundred  and  forty  dollars.     I  had  paid  for  every  article 


288  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

I  had  used  except  a  little  medicine  the  doctor  had  fur- 
nished. 

The  marshal  and  doctor  said  they  understood  that  I 
had  come  into  the  country  as  a  soldier  in  the  time  of  the 
Mexican  war.  I  told  them  that  I  had  helped  to  build  the 
fort  that  overlooked  the  town,  and  that  I  went  to  San 
Bernardino  canyon  and  helped  get  down  the  first  liberty  pole 
that  ever  bore  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  this  western  coast. 
At  this  they  asked  a  number  of  questions,  as  if  to  satisfy 
themselves  whether  or  not  I  had  told  them  the  truth,  and 
when  they  became  convinced  the  marshal  said:  "Mr.  Brown, 
do  not  make  any  trouble,  for  we  will  see  that  you  do  not 
have  to  pay  that  bill;  you  are  worthy  of  all  the  care  that 
you  have  had,  and  more  too.  Los  Angeles  will  pay  that, 
and  you  are  free  to  go  on  your  way.  We  are  pleased  to 
have  made  your  acquaintance,  and  that  you  have  recovered 
so  well;  for  your  case  has  been  a  very  remarkable  one,  to 
have  had  the  disease  so  badly  and  after  being  exposed  as 
you  were,  to  have  recovered  so  soon,  with  scarce  a  mark 
left  on  you.  It  has  been  a  most  wonderful  case,  and  we 
congratulate  you  on  your  safe  recovery,  and  wish  you  suc- 
cess on  your  journey  to  Salt  Lake."  Of  course  I  could  not 
feel  otherwise  than  very  grateful  to  those  two  gentlemen 
for  their  kind  attention  and  largeness  of  soul.  Then  we 
bade  each  other  good-bye  and  I  am  not  conscious  that  we 
have  ever  met  since  that  day. 

Brother  Sherwood  and  I  stored  my  trunk,  put  our  other 
effects  on  his  poor  old  stallion,  went  down  town  and  got  my 
money  and  some  provisions  and  a  bottle  of  old  whisky,  and 
were  amused  to  see  so  many  people  run  from  the  smallpox, 
while  others  stood  afar  off  and  gazed.  Finally,  on  Febru- 
ary 2 ist,  we  set  out  for  San  Bernardino,  eighty  miles,  on 
foot,  one  leading  and  the  other  punching  the  old  horse, 
which  was  so  weak  that  he  stumbled  wherever  the  road 
was  a  little  rough.     We  only  got  ten  miles  that  day. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  289 

On  the  22nd  we  proceeded  on  our  journey  another  ten 
miles,  when  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  go  any  further.  I 
was  thoroughly  exhausted,  and  had  to  lie  down  or  drop. 
We  were  ten  miles  from  water,  and  so  thirsty  that  it  .seemed 
that  I  must  die  on  that  arid  plain.  Brother  Sherwood,  how- 
ever, proved  equal  to  the  emergency.  He  got  me  on  to  a 
pair  of  blankets,  led  the  old  horse  up  so  as  to  cast  a  shadow 
over  me,  then  hastened  to  soak  a  piece  of  bread  in  some 
old  whisky.  He  gave  me  the  bread,  saying  it  would  slake 
my  thirst,  and  stimulate  me.  Strange  as  it  seemed  to  me,  it 
did  so,  and  in  a  short  time  I  was  able  to  rise  alone,  and 
sit  up. 

We  had  not  been  there  a  great  while  when  we  saw  a 
party  of  Spanish  ladies  coming  in  on  another  road,  that  ap- 
peared to  unite  with  the  one  we  were  on;  so  by  an  effort 
we  gained  the  junction  just  as  they  did.  They  stopped 
their  cart,  and  asked  if  we  would  have  some  wine.  We 
said  we  preferred  water,  and  they  gave  us  both.  Seeing 
that  I  was  very  ill,  they  invited  me  to  ride  with  them,  mak- 
ing room  so  that  I  had  a  place  between  the  two  on  the  front 
seat  and  rested  my  head  and  shoulders  on  the  laps  of  the 
two  on  the  rear  seat,  while  they  bathed  my  head  with  water, 
and  urged  me  to  take  a  little  more  wine.  It  did  seem  that 
if  it  had  not  been  for  this  most  unexpected  kindness  I  should 
have  died  of  thirst  and  exhaustion  before  we  could  have 
reached  any  other  source  of  support. 

Brother  Sherwood  followed  in  the  rear  to  where  the 
ladies  lived,  but  before  he  came  up  I  was  helped  on  to  a 
bed  in  a  cool  room,  and  had  some  refreshments,  with  a  cup 
of  chocolate.  Oh.  how  thankful  I  was  to  those  blessed 
Spanish  '-'senoritas!"  When  their  husbands  came  in,  they 
shook  hands  and  seemed  to  be  pleased  that  their  wives  had 
dealt  so  kindly  with  the  strange  American.  Brother  Sher- 
wood soon  arrived,  and  they  unpacked  his  horse  and  took 
care  of  it,  while  the  women  supplied  him  with  water  to  bathe 


29O  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

his  hands  and  face,  and  with  refreshments.  Then  he  and  I 
retired  early. 

Next  morning,  February  23,  we  were  served  with  choc- 
olate and  tortias  (pancakes)  before  we  were  out  of  bed.  Our 
hosts  had  only  a  humble  home,  but  so  kind  were  they  in 
their  attentions  to  us  that  it  aroused  suspicions  of  a  large 
bill  to  pay,  but  when  we  asked  them  the  amount  they 
shrugged  their  shoulders  Spanish  fashion,  and  with  a  pleas- 
ant smile  said,  in  Spanish,  "Nothing;  friendship;  no  more." 
As  we  bade  them  good-bye  they  said  they  would  be  pleased 
for  me  to  allow  them  to  have  the  little  smallpox  scab  that 
was  on  my  nose,  if  we  thought  it  would  not  leave  a  mark,, 
so  they  and  Brother  Sherwood  removed  it,  and  thought  it 
would  not  leave  any  pit;  therefore  I  allowed  him  to  re- 
move it  and  leave  it  with  them.  Still  it  did  leave  its  mark 
till  this  day. 

We  proceeded  on  to  a  ranch  where  we  met  with  a  fourth 
cousin  of  mine,  John  Garner,  who  kindly  offered  me  a  seat 
in  his  wagon.  He  was  loaded  and  could  not  start  till  late, 
but  we  could  reach  his  place  before  midnight,  and  Brother 
Sherwood  could  push  on;  for  when  we  started  Sherwood 
would  not  be  able  to  keep  up.  I  accepted  his  proposition, 
and  we  reached  his  home  at  11  o'clock  p.  m. 

On  the  24th  I  went  to  what  they  called  at  that  time,  I 
believe.  Fort  San  Bernardino.  There  I  found  many  warm- 
hearted friends,  and  a  number  of  relatives,  among  them 
John  M.  and  Alexander  Brown,  my  cousins.  I  made  my 
home  with  the  latter,  who,  with  his  wife,  was  very  kind  to 
me.  I  also  visited  many  old  acquaintances.  My  trunk  I 
sent  for  by  Sidney  Tanner,  and  he  brought  it  from  Los 
Angeles  free  of  charge. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  29I 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

REPORT  MY  MISSION— PREPARE  TO  CONTINUE  THE  JOURNEY  TO  UTAH- 
HAVE  TO  REMAIN  AT  SAN  BERNARDINO  FOR  A  TIME— SICKNESS 
AMONG  THE  PEOPLE— INSTANCES  OF  HEALING  BY  ADMINISTRA- 
TION— ENGAGE  TO  TRAVEL  WITH  A  PACK-TRAIN  TO  SALT  LAKE 
CITY— GET  A  "BUCKING"  MILE— START  ON  THE  JOURNEY-IN  A 
HOSTILE  INDIAN  COUNTRY— SIGNS  OF  DANCER— PREPARE  FOR 
TROUBLE— SUDDEN  APPEARANCE  OF  AN  INDIAN— OUR  PARTY- 
WANT  TO  SHOOT— I  PROTEST,  AND  MAKE  FRIENDS  WITH  THE 
INDIAN— OTHER  BED  MEN  APPEAR— DIFFICULTY  OF  RESTRAINING 
OUR  PARTY— 1  CONVERSE  WITH  THE  INDIAN-.  WHO  TELL  OF  A 
(  AMP  OF  MORMON-  AND  MEXICANS  \  SHORT  DISTANCE  AHEAD— 
HOW  I  UNDERSTOOD  THE  LNDIANS— DISCOVEB  THE  CAMP  SPOKEN 
OF— REST  A  DAY— MOVE  TOWARD  THE  BANTA  CLARA— DANGER 
AHEAD— A  FIRE  ACROSS  OCR  PATH— WE  DASH  THROUGH  IT- 
HOSTILE  INDIANS— AN  EXCTTLNG  I  BLASE— MEET  APOSTLES  A.  M. 
LYMAN  AND  C.  C.  RICH— ARRIVE  AT  CEDAR  CITY— STOP  AT  PARO- 
WAN— JOURNEY    NORTH,    PREACHING     EN     ROUTE— REACH    SALT 

LAKE     CITY ETTLE    WITH    THE     PEOPLE     FOR     WHOM    I     HAVE 

MONEY— REPORT  TO  PRESIDENT  Y<  H  NG-PREACH  IN  THE  TABER- 
NACLE— RELEASED  PROM  MY  MISSION— COST  OF  MY  MISSION  TO 
THE  SOCTETI  ISLANDS. 

ON  February  27th,  I  was  called  on  by  President  Seeley 
of  the  branch  of  the  Church  at  San  Bernardino,  to 
give  a  report  of  my  mission,  and  I  did  so  before  the  con- 
gregation. On  March  9th,  I  prepared  to  come  home  with 
John  and  Alexander  Brown,  to  Salt  Lake  City,  but  for 
some  reason  they  gave  up  the  idea  of  traveling  at  that  time, 
and  I  had  to  await  another  opportunity.  Then  we  looked 
about  the  country,  thinking  that  we  would  make  some  im- 
provements, if  we  did  not  meet  with  a  better  chance  to 
come  to  Utan. 

About  this  time  there  was  a  great  amount  of  sickness 
in  the  place,  and  Elder  Thomas  Whitaker,  from  the  islands, 
and  I  had  numerous  calls  to  administer  to  the  sick.     Many 


292  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

seemed  to  be  possessed  of  evil  spirits;  certainly,  if  they  had 
lived  in  Mary  Magdalene's  day  it  would  have  been  said  of 
them  that  they  had  seven  devils  in  them;  for  the  actions 
were  the  same  as  in  those  days,  and  the  evil  spirits  would 
not  come  out  except  through  fasting  and  prayer.  Conse- 
quently. President  Seeley  ordered  a  fast  and  a  prayer 
meeting  for  the  Saints.  It  was  very  well  attended,  and 
good  results  followed.  Many  people  were  healed  of  the 
diseases  afflicting-  them.  One  incident  I  will  mention:  There 
lived  in  the  town  a  man  named  John  Brown;  he  had  a 
Spanish  wife  and  one  or  two  children.  One  evening, 
Major  Jefferson  Hunt's  wife  called  on  me  to  come  as 
quickly  as  possible,  for  Mr.  Brown's  child  looked  as  if  it  were 
dying.  1  went  in,  and  found  the  mother  and  child  in  bed 
together.  The  little  one  acted  as  if  it  were  choking  to 
death,  and  was  fighting  for  breath;  it  gnashed  its  teeth  and 
frothed  at  the  mouth.  I  anointed  it  with  consecrated  oil, 
and  as  there  was  no  other  Elder  handy  I  administered  to 
the  child,  when  every  symptom  of  its  trouble  left  it  imme- 
diately, but  seized  on  the  mother.  She  raved,  frothed  and 
foamed  at  the  mouth,  gnashed  her  teeth,  cramped,  and 
seemed  so  ill  that  she  could  not  live  five  minutes.  Sister 
Hunt  anointed  her  with  oil,  and  I  administered  to  her.  She 
was  healed  that  moment.  An  Indian  woman  was  sitting 
there  sewing,  and  the  same  power  that  had  afflicted  the 
child  and  its  mother  took  hold  of  the  Indian  woman.  By 
this  time  another  sister  had  stepped  in,  and  she  and  Sister 
Hunt  raised  the  Indian  woman  up,  for  she  had  fallen  over. 
They  called  on  me  to  lay  hands  on  her,  but  I  did  not  feel 
to  do  so  at  once.  I  told  them  to  wet  her  face  and  rub  her 
hands.  They  did  so.  and  she  grew  worse  every  minute, 
until  I  administered  to  her,  by  laying  my  hands  upon  her 
and  praying,  rebuking  the  evil  spirits,  commanding  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  to  come  out  of  her  and  to  depart 
from   her  and   from   that   house,  and  from  the  houses  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  293 

homes  of  the  Saints,  and  to  get  hence  to  their  own  home, 
and  trouble  us  no  more.  That  moment  the  evil  spirits  left, 
and  did  not  return  again.  The  three  persons  who  were 
afflicted  were  perfectly  well  next  morning,  and  I  never 
heard  of  their  being  afflicted  afterwards. 

There  had  been  a  number  of  cases  where  persons  had 
been  similarly  affected,  and  some  of  them  were  not  healed 
until  they  had  been  baptized  seven  times  in  succession, 
when  tney  were  permanently  cured.  Indeed,  there  were 
very  many  remarkable  cases  of  healing  in  San  Bernardino 
about  that  time. 

On  April  15th,  my  cousin,  John  M.  Brown,  learned 
that  a  man  named  Lamper  was  going  to  start  with  the 
mail  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and  had  only  four  men  with  him. 
As  that  was  too  small  a  number  to  be  safe,  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  if  he  could  have  three  or  four  more  he  would 
like  it  very  much.  He  told  John  M.  Brown  that  if  he 
would  raise  two  or  three  other  men.  he  would  wait  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Cajon  Pass  for  them. 

As  my  cousin  had  never  had  any  experience  with  pack 
animals,  he  told  me  that  if  I  would  go  with  him  and  help 
with  the  stock  and  packs,  for  that  service  he  would  furnish 
everything  needed  en  route,  he  knowing  that  I  had  had 
experience  in  that  line,  and  in  the  handling  of  wild  horses 
and  mules. 

I  accepted  the  offer,  so  we  made  ready,  and  were  off 
on  the  19th  of  April.  We  overtook  the  party  in  waiting 
at  the  place  agreed  upon.  The  animal  provided  for  my 
saddle  mule  was  wild,  large  and  strong,  and  given  to  jump- 
ing stiff-legged,  or  bucking,  as  it  is  called.  It  was  a  hard 
animal  to  handle,  and  was  successful  in  dumping  its  rider 
three  times  in  the  fore  part  of  the  journey,  to  the  amuse- 
ment of  his  five  comrades.  We  had  nineteen  head  of  ani- 
mals, and  traveled  at  the  rate  of  fifty  miles  per  day,  for  the 


•94 


LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


first  half  of  the  journey,  because  our  route  led  us  through  a 
hostile  Indian  country. 

We  stood  regular  turns  of  guard,  and  all  went  well 
till  the  last  day  before  we  came  to  the  Muddy.  That  day 
we  saw  danger  signs,  of  Indians.  I  will  say  now,  my 
friendly  reader,  if  ever  you  travel  in  an  Indian  country,  and 
come  to  fresh  Indian  tracks,  yet  do  not  see  an  Indian,  then 
you  may  be  sure  that  some  red  man  wants  a  few  horses 
and  some  plunder,  if,  indeed,  he  does  not  want  a  scalp  or 
two  to  hang  to  his  bridle-bit  or  surcingle.  That  was  our 
danger  sign,  plenty  of  fresh  Indian  tracks,  where  they  had 
rolled  large  boulders  into  the  narrow  passes  in  the  road,  or 
gorges  where  the  road  passed  through.  This  satisfied  us 
that  we  were  in  danger  of  an  unpleasant  surprise,  so  we 
examined  every  firelock,  made  sure  there  was  powder  in 
every  tube,  good  waterproof  caps  on,  ammunition  handy, 
packs  securely  bound,  saddles  well  girt,  and  every  man 
prepared  to  act  promptly  in  case  of  an  attack. 

At  this  time  we  were  crossing  from  the  Las  Vegas  to 
the  Muddy.  I  think  the  distance  without  water  was  sixty- 
five  miles,  so  there  was  no  alternative  for  us  but  to  press 
forward  to  the  Muddy  River,  were  we  arrived  in  safety 
about  4  a.  m.,  watered  our  stock,  and  got  a  hasty  meal, 
giving  our  animals  a  very  short  time  for  rest  and  to  feed. 

At  dayiight  we  began  to  saddle  up  for  another  start. 
Just  as  we  were  ready  to  mount,  a  large,  stout  Indian 
raised  up  out  of  the  willows  within  bow-shot,  and  hal- 
looed. He  had  his  bows  and  arrows  in  hand.  At  that  my 
cousin  John  leveled  his  gun  on  the  red  man,  when  I  seized 
it  ana  forbade  anyone  to  shoot,  as  others  of  the  party  had 
made  ready  for  the  worst.  At  that  moment  the  Indian 
held  out  his  hand  and  came  toward  us,  as  if  to  shake  hands. 
Every  man  of  the  party  but  myself  was  ready  and  anxious 
to  open  fire  on  the  Indian,  but  I  stood  between  him  and 
them  until  they  had  mounted.    I  told  them  if  there  was  one 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  2Q5 

-shot  fired  every  one  of  us  would  be  killed.  The  Indian 
said  to  me  that  he  wished  to  be  friendly.  Then  I  mounted 
and  the  party  started,  and  at  the  same  time  twenty-five  or 
thirty  Indians,  all  well  armed,  raised  up  out  of  the  brush 
within  easy  pistol  range.  My  party  again  drew  their  guns, 
when  I  told  them  to  hold  on,  for  the  Indians  were  friendly, 
and  their  object  was  merely  to  beg  some  food;  but  some  of 
my  party  were  hard  to  control. 

As  mv  companions  trotted  up.  I  fell  back  with  the 
Indians,  who  talked,  and  I  began  to  understand  them, 
although  I  had  not  been  among  them  one  day.  It  was 
given  me  to  understand  them,  and  I  told  my  companions 
that  I  did  so.  I  told  them  further,  that  I  would  stand  be- 
tween them  and  the  Indians,  if  they  would  not  shoot.  One 
said.  --How  do  you  know  that  they  are  friendly  if  you  have 
never  been  among  them  before?  They  are  following  us 
up.  Send  them  away,  if  you  know  so  much  about  their 
friendship." 

The  Indians  told  me  that  when  the  sun  got  to  such  a 
position,  pointing  to  where  it  would  be  at  about  9  o'clock 
a.  m..  we  would  come  to  a  large  camp  of  Mormons  and 
non-Mormons,  with  their  families;  that  they  had  horses, 
mules  and  horned  stock,  and  wagons,  also  some  sheep  and 
goats.  There  was  a  lot  of  Mexicans  camped  with  them, 
and  these  had  pack-mules.  This,  and  more,  was  told  me 
in  the  Indian  dialect,  and  was  as  plain  to  my  understanding 
as  if  it  had  been  spoken  in  my  native  tongue;  yet  my  party 
were  slow  to  believe,  and  some  of  them  cursed  the  Indians, 
saying  that  if  the  black  rascals  were  friendly,  why  did  they 
not  go  back,  instead  of  following  us  up.  Being  fearful  that 
our  party  could  not  be  restrained  much  longer,  I  halted  and 
talked  with  the  Indians,  telling  them  I  was  afraid  my 
friends  would  shoot  them  unless  they  fell  back,  and  ceased 
to  follow  up  so  closely.     The  Indians  replied  that  I  would 


29O  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

soon  learn  that  what  they  had  said    was   true,  as   they   did 
not  talk  two  ways. 

Just  then  we  saw  a  Mexican  come  dashing  down  the 
hillside  towards  us.  When  he  came  to  us  and  shook  hands, 
then  confirmed  what  the  Indians  had  told  me,  my  cousin 
John  said,  "I  believe  Jim  does  understand  the  Indians,  for 
he  understands  the  Spanish  language,  and  the  Spaniards 
have  told  him  just  what  the  Indians  have  said.  I  believe 
he  is  half  Indian,  or  he  would  not  be  so  friendly  with  and 
understand  them  so  well." 

Soon  we  came  to  a  raise,  from  which  we  could  see  the 
camps,  just  as  they  had  been  described  to  us  minutely  in 
the  morning,  by  the  Indians,  who  followed  us  up  to  the 
camps,  and  with  pride  pointed  out  to  us  everything  they 
had  spoken  of,  saying,  "We  do  not  lie."  I  believe  that  our 
party  had  become  satisfied  that  the  Indians  had  made  the 
signs  seen  on  the  road  the  day  before,  and  then  had  laid  in 
ambush  to  intimidate  us,  that  they  might  get  something  to 
eat,  for  they  were  very  closely  run  for  food;  again,  it  may 
have  been  that  they  meant  more  serious  things  and  were 
deterred  therefrom  by  learning  of  the  approach  of  the  com- 
pany we  found  in  camp. 

At  any  rate  we  felt  safer  to  layby  with  the  camp 
one  day,  and  rest  ourselves  and  stock;  then  we  proceed- 
ed over  a  big  dry  bench  to  the  Rio  Virgen,  then 
up  that  river  and  across  another  high  plateau  to  Beaver 
Dam.  From  there  we  crossed  another  high  rolling  country 
of  some  forty  miles  or  more,  to  Santa  Clara.  When  we 
got  half  way  across  we  saw  a  signal  smoke,  apparently  on 
the  Santa  Clara  where  the  road  comes  to  that  stream,  or 
perhaps  a  little  above.  Feeling  conscious  of  our  weakness, 
we  watched  the  smoke  with  no  little  concern,  and  as  I  had 
had  considerably  more  acquaintance  with  the  red  men  than 
any  others  of  the  party,  I  told  them  that  from  the  way  the 
fire  was  managed  there   was  mischief  ahead,  and  we  must 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  297 

prepare  for  the  worst.  Our  animals  were  thirsty  and  well 
jaded,  yet  there  was  no  choice  for  us  but  to  brave  the 
danger  ahead.  Then  the  examination  of  firelocks  and  the 
cinching  of  saddles  was  in  order.  That  matter,  however, 
was  delayed  so  long  as  we  felt  safe. 

When  the  preparation  was  made,  and  the  smoke  had 
grown  denser,  we  advanced  and  saw  that  the  streak  of 
fire  was  in  the  narrows  of  the  canyon.  It  extended  from 
cliff  to  cliff,  and  evidently  was  made  in  a  scheme  of  plunder 
or  massacre,  most  likely  both.  Under  the  circumstances, 
we  were  compelled  to  run  the  gauntlet,  so  it  was  hastilv 
decided  for  me  to  lead  the  way.  I  agreeing  to  do  this  if  the 
party  would  obey  my  orders,  and  not  fire  until  I  did,  or 
gave  the  command  to  them.  If  I  gave  the  warwhoop  they 
were  to  do  the  same.  The  first  order  was  to  draw  weapons 
for  action,  then  charge  with  all  possible  speed.  Away  we 
went,  and  as  we  neared  the  flames  we  chose  the  most  open 
spot,  or  that  which  seemed  freest  of  fire.  Although  there 
was  a  continuous  stream  of  flames  clear  across  the  canyon, 
some  places  were  freer  than  others.  We  chose  the  place 
where  the  least  fire  was,  the  flames  there  being  not  more 
than  two  or  two  and  a  half  feet  high.  If  the  timber  in  the 
canyon  had  been  larger,  it  might  have  afforded  the  Indians 
a  better  opportunity,  but  instead  of  secreting  themselves  in 
the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  they  had  chosen  the  cliffs  on 
either  side. 

Just  before  we  reached  the  fire,  we  urged  our  animals 
up  to  the  best  speed,  and,  raising  as  big  a  warwhoop  as  we 
were  capable  of,  and  brandishing  our  firearms  in  the  most 
threatening  manner,  we  dashed  through.  At  the  same 
time,  the  Indians  showed  themselves  in  the  cliffs  with 
drawn  bows,  trying  to  take  aim  through  the  timber.  They 
answered  our  whoop  or  yell,  and  gave  chase,  but  they 
being  on  foot,  and  our  animals  having  become  thoroughly 
frightened  at  the  sudden  change  that  had  taken  place  and 


2g8  life  of  a  pioneer. 

with  the  evergoading  spurs  of  their  riders,  rushed  on  ahead. 
Though  very  thirsty,  our  animals  never  attempted  to  drink, 
although  we  crossed  the  stream  a  number  of  times.  For 
fully  five  miles  we  never  slackened  our  speed,  the  Indians 
keeping  in  sight  of  us  for  fully  that  distance,  when 
they  gave  up  the  chase.  Then  our  stock  and  ourselves 
quenched  our  thirst,  and  we  continued  on  at  as  good  a 
speed  as  was  consistent  with  our  conditions.  Finally  we 
met  Apostles  Amasa  M.  Lyman  and  C.  C.  Rich,  with  two 
or  three  wagons  and  twelve  or  fourteen  men,  mostly 
mounted.  As  it  was  camp  time,  we  made  a  joint  camp, 
and  had  no  more  trouble.  If  an  arrow  had  been  shot  at  us, 
we  did  not  know  it,  though  there  may  have  been  a  hundred 
or  more.  We  did  not  think  it  advisable  to  try  to  ascertain, 
as  we  felt  that  our  scalps  were  more  precious  than  this  in- 
formation, or  than  money  or  horseflesh.  It  was  distance 
between  us  and  the  scalping-knife  of  the  red  men  that  we 
were  hunting  for  just  then. 

We  stood  double  guard  that  night,  and  all  passed  off 
peacefully.  Next  morning,  each  party  proceeded  on  its  way 
in  peace,  we  to  Cedar  Fort,  or  city,  where  we  arrived  May 
5th.  and  met  with  many  friends.  We  attended  meeting 
with  the  people,  I  was  called  on  to  give  an  account  of  my 
mission,  and  did  so. 

On  May  6th,  we  proceeded  to  Parowan,  and  as  it 
was  considered  safe  from  there  on,  my  counsin  John  M. 
Brown  and  I  stopped  there  with  friends  we  had  not  seen 
for  years.  The  rest  of  the  party,  having  the  mail  in  charge, 
went  ahead,  and  we  tarried  one  week,  being  royally  treated. 
I  preached  two  or  three  times.  We  resumed  the  journey 
on  the  15th.  In  passing  along,  I  preached  in  most  of  the 
towns  where  we  stayed  over  night. 

When  we  came  to  Lehi,  I  commenced  to  settle  with 
the  people  whom  I  had  money  for,  then  went  on  to  Little 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  299 

Cottonwood  and  settled  with  more,  then  to  Big  Cotton- 
wood, where  I  found  still  others  for  whom  I  had  money. 

On  May  22nd  we  arrived  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and 
stopped  with  our  uncle.  Alexander  Stephens.  On  the  23rd, 
I  called  at  President  Brigham  Young's  office  and  reported 
myself  and  mission.  He  received  me  very  kindly,  and 
welcomed  me  home  again.  I  also  met  Brothers  H.  C. 
Kimball  and  Jedediah  M.  Grant,  a  number  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles,  and  other  prominent  men.  All  were  very  courte- 
ous, and  expressed  pleasure  at  my  safe  return. 

On  the  24th  and  25th,  I  called  and  settled  with  all  I 
had  money,  checks,  or  drafts  for,  and  I  found  them  all  well, 
and  much  pleased  to  get  the  needed  relief,  financially.  On 
the  26th,  as  I  desired  to  go  to  Ogden  City,  1  called  at  Presi- 
dent Young's  office  to  bid  him  good-bye.  He  kindly  invited 
me  to  come  to  the  stand  in  the  Tabernacle  on  June  7th,  to 
preach.  I  did  so,  though  it  delayed  me  in  my  intended 
visit  to  my  friends  and  relatives  in  Ogden  City.  When  I 
filled  that  call,  I  was  honorably  released  from  further  labors 
in  the  missionary  field  at  that  time.  My  mission  had  occu- 
pied three  years  and  eight  months,  and  cost  me  every  dol- 
lar that  I  had  when  I  started  out.  I  was  then  worth  fifteen 
hundred  dollars  in  good  property,  which  I  spent;  but  I 
never  regretted  it.  The  experience  that  I  had  gained  I 
counted  worth  much  more  than  the  money  expended. 


300  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

TRAVEL  ON  FOOT  TO  OGDEN— WELL  RECEIVED  BY  RELATIVES  AND 
FRIENDS— REPLY  TO  INQUIRIES  HV  THE  PEOPLE  REGARDING  THE 
SOCIETY  ISLANDS  AND  THE  INHABITANTS  THEREOF— CALLED  TO 
GO  TO  FORT  HALL— ORDER  COUNTERMANDED— CALLED  ON  A  MIS- 
SION TO  THE  INDIANS— DESIGN  OF  THE  MIS8ION— ORGANIZATION 
( )K  THE  <  <  i.Ml'ANY,  AND  START  FROM  SALT  LAKE  CITY— HARD  WORK 
OF  THE  JOURNEY— ATTACKED  BY  WOLVES— FATAL  DUEL  AT  1  <  >RT 
BRIDGER— PLANS  OF  DESPERADOES— WE  GO  TO  SMITH'S  FORK- 
BUILD  A  BLOCKHOUSE— ARRIVAL  OF  MORE  MEN  AND  SUPPLIES— 
THREATENTNG  ATTITUDE  OF  THE  INDIANS- WRITER  MADE  SER- 
GEANT  OF  THE  GUARD  AND  QUARTERMASTER— INSTRUCTIONS 
FROM  ELDER  ORSON  HYDE— LIFE  IN  OUR  NEW  CAMP— COLD 
WEATHER  AND  WILD  BEASTS— LEARNING  THE  INDIAN  LANGUAGE 
—GIVE  SHELTER  TO  INDIANS— DESPERADO  CHIEF  KILLED  BY  ONE 
OF  HIS  MEN-ANIMALS  PERISH  FROM  (OLD  AND  STARVATION— TER- 
RIFIC STORMS  AND  SNOWDRIFTS— SAVING  OUR  STOCK— SHOSHONE 
INDIANS  ASK  FOR  AND  RECEIVE  ASSISTANCE— HUNT  FOR  ANTE- 
LOPE FAILS— A  BACHELOR'S  DANCE— RAISING  A  LIBERTY  POLE- 
PARTITIONING  OUT  LANDS— PLOWING  AND  PLANTING— ARRIVAL  OF 
AND  INSTRUCTIONS  BY  ELDER  ORSON  HYDE— SELECTIONS  FOR 
\  SPECIAL  MISSION  TO  THE  INDIANS— ORGANIZATION  OF  GREEN 
RIVER  COUNTY. 

ON  June  9,  1853,  I  started  to  Ogden  City,  afoot  and 
alone.  On.  the  ioth.  I  paid  out  the  last  quarter  of  a 
dollar  that  I  had  to  the  ferryman,  to  set  me  across  the 
Weber  River,  at  East  Weber.  From  there  I  crossed  the 
hills  to  my  Uncle  John  Stephens',  and  found  him  and  his 
family  well  and  pleased  to  see  me.  I  reciprocated  the 
pleasure,  had  dinner  and  a  short  visit,  then  went  on  to 
Ogden  City,  where  I  again  met  with  Cousin  John  M. 
Brown  and  his  father's  family,  and  our  two  aunts,  Polly 
and  Nancy  Brown;  as  also  more  relatives  and  former 
friends,  all  of  whom  treated  me  with  much  kindness,  and 
as  if  the  lost  had  been  f  ound. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  3OI 

The  first  Sabbath  after  my  arrival  in  Ogden,  I  was 
called  on  to  give  a  report  of  my  mission,  and  to  preach. 
By  doing  this,  there  was  a  great  spirit  of  inquiry  excited 
about  the  Society  Islands  and  their  inhabitants.  I  found 
that  scarce  one  in  a  thousand  of  the  people  had  the  re- 
motest idea  of  affairs  on  the  islands  I  had  been  to.  The 
questions  asked  and  the  answers  given  were  about  like 
this: 

Q.     Where  are  the  islands? 

A.     In  the  South  Pacific  Ocean. 

Q.     What  are  they  like? 

A.     The  spur  of  a  mountain  in  a  vast  plain. 

Q.     What  are  the  chief  products? 

A.  Cocoanuts,  oranges,  lemons,  limes,  citrus  fruits, 
arrowroot,  sweet  potatoes  or  yams  (a  species  of  potato  that 
takes  about  eighteen  months  to  mature),  coffee,  cotton,  chili 
pepper,  corn,  rice,  tobacco,  sugarcane;  a  root  called  taro 
grows  in  the  swamps  and  somewhat  resembles  the  Indian 
turnip  that  grows  in  the  Middle  States,  and  on  the  islands 
is  cultivated  for  food,  being  one  of  the  most  staple  prod- 
ucts; breadfruit  grows  in  great  abundance;  there  is  a 
fruit  called  viappJe  and  another  called  doava,  neither  of 
which  is  of  much  importance.  There  are  also  pineapples, 
bananas,  and  a  fruit  called  feii  which  grows  on  a  plant  like 
the  banana,  and  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  generally  used 
fruits  there. 

Q.     Is  the  soil  rich? 

A.  Yes;  but  this  is  limited  to  small  strips  along  the 
coasts  and  the  water  courses. 

Q.     What  kind  of  a  climate  is  it? 

A.  Very  hot.  Papeete,  the  capital  of  Tahiti,  is  in 
seventeen  degrees  thirty-two  minutes  south  latitude,  and 
one  hundred  and  forty-four  degrees  thirty-four  minutes 
west  longitude,  computed  from  Greenwich,  and  if  it  were 
not  for  the  frequent   rains,  southerly  breezes,  and   the  con- 


302  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

stant  trade  winds,  it  would  be  almost  impossible  for  human 
beings  to  live  there. 

Q.     What  kinds  of  timber  grow  there? 

A.  Various  kinds  of  scrubby  timber  not  known  in 
our  country,  chief  of  which  is  hutu  or  tamana,  an  excellent 
timber  for  shipbuilding,  and  for  fine  furniture;  there  is  also 
sandal  wood,  the  heart  being  of  great  value,  as  it  is  used 
for  perfume,  and  decorating  musical  instruments,  work- 
boxes,  etc. 

Q.  Having  given  a  brief  description  of  the  islands 
composing  the  Society  group,  the  Tubuoi  and  Tubuoimono 
archipelago,  and  of  their  principal  products,  the  next  ques- 
tion was:  What  kind  of  people  inhabit  them? 

A.  They  are  very  large  in  stature,  are  brave,  and 
formerly  were  very  warlike.  Their  complexion  is  like  that  of 
the  American  Indian,  and  their  habits  are  much  the 
same.  They  are  hospitable  to  a  fault.  In  their  heathenish 
days,  they  were  idol-worshipers  and  very  devout.  Origin- 
ally, their  government  was  patriarchal,  but  as  they  increased 
it  became  tribal,  then  confederate.  A  district  of  country 
called  monteina  would  combine  for  war  purposes,  and  finally 
would  become  a  monarchy.  Thus  they  had  their  kings 
and  queens,  and  began  to  have  royalty.  As  to  other  mat- 
ters, there  are  no  native  animals,  but  of  fowls  there  are 
such  as  sea  birds,  and  the  common  wild  duck;  also  of  rep- 
tiles, a  small,  harmless,  greenish  lizard.  The  greatest  in- 
sect pests  are  the  nimble  flea  and  the  common  mosquito,  in 
numberless  quantities.  ,Many  years  ago  the  people  had 
the  smallpox,  and  as  it  was  a  strange  disease  to  them,  and 
they  were  without  the  knowledge  of  how  to  treat  it,  they 
died  by  hundreds,  if  not  by  thousands.  As  soon  as  they 
learned  that  it  was  contagious,  the  people  fled  to  the 
mountains,  and  there  hid  away  until  their  swine  and  chick- 
ens went  wild,  in  which  state  these  increased,  producing 
the    wild   boar   and    wild    chickens,  which   are   frequently 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  303 


A  TYPICAL  TAHITIAN  WITH  HIS  BURDEN  OF  BREAD  FRUIT  AND  FEU. 


304  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

hunted  by  the  people,  and  which,  but  for  the  rugged  fast- 
nesses of  the  mountains,  soon  would  become  extinct. 

I  will  leave  that  subject  now  and  return  to  my  own 
experiences  after  getting  home.  I  turned  my  hand  to  farm 
labor,  and  anything  I  could  get  to  do  until  the  6th  of  Sep- 
tember. Then  Major  Moore,  having  received  orders  from 
Governor  Young  to  raise  a  company  of  men  and  send 
them  north  to  Fort  Hall,  to  protect  or  assist  a  company 
there  on  some  business,  called  me  to  take  charge  of  that 
company.  When  we  were  within  three  hours  of  start- 
ing, the  order  to  go  was  countermanded,  and  I  continued 
to  work  for  two  dollars  per  day  until  the  8th  of  October, 
when,  at  a  general  conference,  I  was  called,  with  several 
others,  to  take  a  mission  to  the  Indian  tribes  east  of  the 
Salt  Lake  valley. 

Elder  Orson  Hyde  was  chosen  to  lead  the  company  to 
somewhere  in  the  region  of  the  Green  River,  select  a  place, 
and  there  build  an  outpost  from  which  to  operate  as  peace- 
makers among  the  Indians,  to  preach  civilization  to  them, 
to  try  and  teach  them  how  to  cultivate  the  soil,  to  instruct 
them  in  the  arts  and  sciences  if  possible,  and  by  that  means 
prevent  trouble  for  our  frontier  settlements  and  emigrant 
companies.  We  were  to  identify  our  interests  with  theirs, 
even  to  marrying  among  them,  if  we  would  be  permitted 
to  take  the  young  daughters  of  the  chief  and  leading  men, 
and  have  them  dressed  like  civilized  people,  and  educated. 
It  was  thought  that  by  forming  that  kind  of  an  alliance  we 
could  have  more  power  to  do  them  good,  and  keep  peace 
among  the  adjacent   tribes   as  also  with  our   own   people. 

It  was  known  that  there  were  wicked  and  cruel  white 
men  among  the  Indians,  working  up  the  spirit  of  robbery 
and  murder  among  the  savage  tribes,  and  against  the  Mor- 
mon people.  Our  missionary  call  was  to  take  our  lives  in 
our  hands,  as  true  patriots,  and  head  off,  and  operate  as  far 
as   possible   against   the   wicked   plots   of  white   men   who 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  30=5 

were  trying  to  carry  their  plans  to  success  through  the  In- 
dians, and  possibly  set  the  savages  on  the  war  path,  that 
the  government  might  send  troops  out.  and  thus  make  a 
better  market  for  the  schemers'  herds  of  cattle  and  horses. 

From  the  October  conference  I  returned  to  Ogden 
City,  settled  what  little  business  I  had,  and  prepared  for 
the  mission,  going  to  Salt  Lake  City  on  the  iSth,  ready  for 
the  work  assigned  me.  There  I  reported  myself,  but  the 
majority  of  the  men  who  had  been  called  at  the  same  time 
that  I  was  were  not  ready  until  the  ist  of  November,  when 
we  met  in  the  Council  House,  and  there  effected  an  organ- 
ization. 

It  was  in  the  evening,  about  8  o'clock,  when  we  met. 
There  were  thirty-nine  men  who  reported  themselves  ready 
to  start  next  morning.  November  2nd.  Elders  Orson  Hyde, 
Parley  P.  Pratt  and  Ezra  T.  Benson,  of  the  Twelve  Apos- 
tles, were  present,  and  organized  the  company  by  appoint- 
ing Elders  John  Nebeker  president  and  captain,  John  Har- 
vey first  counselor  and  lieutenant  and  James  S.  Brown 
second  counselor  and  lieutenant.  The  captain  and  lieuten- 
ants were  so  that  we  might  act  in  a  military  capacity  if 
necessity  required  it,  and  the  president  and  counselors  were 
for  ecclesiastical  affairs.  The  officers  were  blessed  and  set 
apart  by  the  three  Apostles  named.  The  Apostles  told  the 
members  of  the  company  that  they  would  be  blessed 
equally  with  the  officers  if  they  would  be  prayerful,  do 
their  duty,  and  hearken  to  and  be  united  with  their  officers. 
We  were  also  told  that  some  of  us  might  have  to  take 
Indian  wives. 

On  November  2nd  twenty  wagons,  with  one  hundred 
and  ten  head  of  cattle,  horses  and  mules,  were  ready  for  a 
start.  To  each  man  there  was  three  hundred  pounds  of 
flour,  seventy-five  pounds  of  seed  wheat,  and  forty  pounds 
of  seed  potatoes.  Each  man  fitted  himself  up  with  such 
other  provisions   and   seed  as   he  chose  or  could    do.     We 


306  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

started  out   at  i   o'clock   p.   m.,  and   that   night   camped  irr 
Emigration  Canyon. 

We  crossed  the  Little  Mountain  on  November  3rd. 
Having  to  double  teams,  we  made  slow  headway,  and  only 
got  to  within  four  miles  of  the  Big  Mountain.  On  the  5th, 
we  crossed  that,  and  camped  at  its  eastern  base.  The  road 
was  very  bad,  so  that  we  made  but  few  miles  on  the  6th, 
and  camped  in  the  foothills,  where  our  stock  was  attacked 
about  3  o'clock  a.  m.  by  a  pack  of  big  gray  wolves,  which 
were  so  savage  that  every  man  had  to  be  called  out  to  fight 
them.  The  night  was  very  dark,  and  we  fired  guns,  built 
fires  in  a  circle  around  the  stock,  and  stayed  with  them  till 
daylight.  Yet,  with  all  that,  some  of  the  milch  cows  had 
part  of  their  udders  torn  off,  while  others  were  badly 
gashed  as  by  a  sharp  knife.  By  hard  work  we  succeeded 
in  preventing  the  wolves  killing  any  of  our  animals,  and 
then  got  an  early  start  on  the  morning  of  the  7th. 

As  we  were  heavily  loaded,  and  the  roads  very  rough, 
we  did  not  reach  Fort  Bridger  until  November  15th.  At 
that  place  there  were  twelve  or  fifteen  rough  mountain 
men.  They  seemed  to  be  very  surly  and  suspicious  of  usr 
and  the  spirit  of  murder  and  death  appeared  to  be  lurking  in 
their  minds.  Many  of  our  party  could  feel  that  terrible 
influence  and  made  remarks  about  it.  It  was  not  long  till 
we  were  informed  by  some  of  the  party  at  the  fort  that 
two  men  there  had  fought  a  duel  the  night  before  with 
butcher  knives,  and  both  were  killed.  The  others  of  the 
party  had  dug  a  hole  and  had  thrown  both  men  into  it  as 
they  had  fallen  and  died — clasped  in  each  other's  arms. 
Thus  the  gloom  and  cloud  of  death  that  we  had  felt  so 
plainly  was  partially  explained.  We  passed  one  and  a  half 
miles  above  the  fort,  and  camped  on  Black's  Fork.  That 
night  it  snowed  about  six  inches. 

We  learned  from  the  men  at  Fort  Bridger  that  fifteen 
or   twenty   mountain    men  had   moved  over  on  to  Henry's 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    [AMES    S.    BROWN.  307 

Fork,  and  that  the  Ute  Indians  were  coming  over  there  to 
winter.  That  was  the  place  we  were  heading  for.  and 
some  of  the  roughest  men  of  the  mountains  were  claiming 
that  as  their  country.  Our  information  now  being  that 
there  was  a  well-organized  band  of  from  seventy-five  to  a 
hundred  desperadoes  in  the  vicinity  of  Green  River,  at  the 
very  point  that  we  had  hoped  to  occupy  with  our  little  com- 
pany, the  situation  was  serious;  and  with  snow  on  the 
ground,  to  decide  what  to  do  was  an  important  matter. 
We  broke  camp  and  passed  over  the  divide  to  Smith's 
Fork.  There  the  Spirit  seemed  to  forbid  us  going  any 
farther,  and  we  held  a  short  consultation,  which  resulted  in 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  of  rive,  of  which  the  writer 
was  one. 

This  committee  followed  up  the  creek  to  a  point  where 
the  water  comes  down  through  the  foothills,  and  there,  be- 
tween the  forks  of  the  stream,  selected  a  spot  for  winter 
quarters,  and  to  build  a  blockhouse.  Then  they  returned 
and  made  their  report,  which  was  accepted  by  the  captain 
and  his  men.  The  camp  was  moved  to  the  chosen  ground 
on  November  27th.  We  at  once  pitted  our  potatoes,  the 
committee  named  being  retained  to  draft  and  superintend 
the  erection  of  the  blockhouse.  The  writer  made  the 
plans  of  the  blockhouse,  which  was  built  with  four  wings, 
or  rooms,  of  equal  size;  these,  uniting  at  the  corners, 
formed  a  center  room,  which  was  built  two  stories  high. 
All  the  rooms  were  provided  with  port  holes,  the  center 
being  used  for  storage,  and  the  upper  for  a  guardhouse, 
from  which  the  country  around  could  be  overlooked.  The 
plan  being  accepted,  every  man  went  to  work  with  a  will, 
and  in  two  weeks  the  house  was  ready  for  occupancy. 
This  was  not  an  hour  too  soon,  for  the  weather  was  very 
cold  and  threatening. 

On  the  26th,  Captain  Isaac  Bullock  came  in  with  fifty- 
three  men  and  twenty-five  wagons.     When  they  joined  us 


308  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

our  company  was  ninety-two  strong,  all  well  armed;  and 
when  our  blockhouse  was  completed  we  felt  safer  than 
ever.  The  work  of  building  was  continued  until  all  were 
comfortably  housed  in  log  cabins,  and  a  heavy  log  corral 
was  constructed  for  our  stock  in  case  of  an  emergency. 

We  had  not  been  settled  down  long,  when  some  of  the 
mountaineers  paid  us  a  visit  and  applauded  our  energy  and 
enterprise.  Notwithstanding  that,  we  could  easily  discern 
a  feeling  of  envy  on  their  part.  In  consequence,  we  did 
not  feel  any  too  safe,  especially  when  the  snow  became 
deep  between  our  friends  and  ourselves,  for  we  frequently 
heard  that  the  Ute  Indians,  then  a  very  warlike  and  hostile 
tribe,  were  threatening  to  come  upon  us  from  the  east,  by 
an  open  country.  Under  the  circumstances,  we  could  see 
the  wisdom  of  our  military  organization;  and  as  we  had  to 
have  a  regular  guard,  we  found  that  we  must  have  a  ser- 
geant thereof;  accordingly,  the  author  was  elected  to  fill  that 
position,  and  as  we  had  several  beef  cattle  and  other  provis- 
ions in  common,  a  commissary  or  quartermaster  was  nec- 
essary, and  the  sergeant  was  called  to  fill  that  position 
also.  We  further  perfected  our  organization  by  electing  a 
captain  for  every  ten  men.  We  were  also  instructed  to 
keep  our  firearms  in  perfect  order,  and  to  have  our  powder 
dry,  that  we  might  be  prepared  for  any  emergency.  Thus 
provided  for,  we  continued  to  get  out  fencing  limber,  and 
exploring  parties  were  sent  out,  which  acted  as  scouts,  and 
we  learned  the  resources  of  the  country,  and  sought  out 
every  advantage. 

It  was  on  December  8  when  Apostle  Orson  Hyde 
came  into  camp.  He  preached  to  us  that  evening,  and 
gave  many  words  of  encouragement.  On  the  9th  he  ex- 
amined our  work  and  defenses.  He  was  highly  pleased 
with  the  country,  and  applauded  our  choice  of  location; 
in  fact,  he  seemed  generally  well  pleased  with  what  we  had 
done.      He  preached   again,  and   gave   us   much  cheer  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  3O9 

sound  instructions.  We  prepared  our  mail  in  answer  to  the 
one  he  had  brought  us,  and  on  the  ioth  he  set  out  on  his 
return  trip,  every  one  feeling  blessed  by  his  visit. 

In  our  religious  and  social  arrangements,  we  held  regu- 
lar meetings,  had  lectures  on  different  subjects,  organized 
a  debating  society,  and  had  readings.  On  December  26,. 
F.  M.  Perkins  and  a  party  returned  from  Salt  Lake  City, 
bringing  much  interesting  news,  and  also  suppftes  of  food. 
On  the  28th.  the  weather  was  so  cold  that  we  had  to  aban- 
don outdoor  work. 

Wolves  became  troublesome  to  our  stock,  so  we  put 
strychnine  and  set  traps  for  the  wild  beasts,  wrhich  killed 
several  head  of  cattle  and  one  of  the  strongest  horses  in 
our  band.  The  wolves  were  very  numerous,  and  when 
they  band,  as  they  do  sometimes,  and  did  then,  it  is  almost 
impossible  for  any  kind  of  stock  to  escape  without  some 
loss.  Yet,  with  rifle,  trap  and  poison,  we  kept  about  even 
with  our  ravenous  enemies. 

January  1,  1854,  tne  weather  was  fine.  On  the  5th 
cold  and  storms  came,  and  we  also  heard  more  threatening 
news  from  the  Ute  Indians;  but  this  did  not  alarm  us  much, 
though  it  prompted  us  to  increased  diligence  in  looking 
after  our  stock.  There  was  some  dissatisfaction  about 
guard  duty,  as  some  thought  there  was  too  much  of  it  to 
suit  them,  and  felt  that  others  should  stand  two  hours  to 
their  one;  but  that  was  soon  settled  and  we  continued  our 
studies  in  the  Shoshone  Indian  dialect,  having  Elisha  B. 
Ward,  an  old  mountaineer  and  trapper,  and  his  Indian  wife, 
Sally,  to  assist  us.  Then  there  was  an  Indian  family  of 
four  who  got  starved  out  and  came  to  us  for  help.  We 
took  them  in,  fed  them,  and  gave  them  a  room  to  them- 
selves. Then  Sally's  brother,  Indian  John,  and  his  wife, 
Madam,  came,  so  that  we  took  them  in  and  fed  them.  This 
condition  afforded  us  increased  facilities  for  studying  the 
Shoshone  dialect,  which  we   carefully  availed  ourselves  of. 


3IO  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

About  this  time,  Louis  Tromley,  a  Frenchman,  stabbed 
Samuel  Callwell.  The  affair  took  place  near  Fort  Bridger. 
Calhvell  was  said  to  be  at  the  head  of  the  gang  of  desper- 
adoes who  plied  their  vocation  from  Bridger  to  Green 
River,  and  back  on  the  emigrant  route  to  Laramie;  he  was 
a  large,  trim  built  man.  about  six  feet  six  inches  tall,  and 
very  daring.  But  after  a  bowie  knife  was  plunged  into  his 
vitals  he  did  not  survive  long,  dying  in  about  twenty-four 
hours  from  the  time  he  received  the  fatal  wound.  Tromley 
was  one  of  Callwell's  band,  and  made  his  escape.  It  was 
thought  by  some  that  if  his  victim  had  lived  he  would  have 
made  trouble  for  us,  but  this  quarrel  gave  the  gang  some- 
thing else  to  do. 

We  continued  our  labors  and  studies;  yet  with  all  the 
opportunities  at  hand,  there  were  only  about  six  of  us  out 
of  the  ninety-two  that  made  even  fair  progress  in  learning 
the  Indian  tongue.  On  February  7,  wre  received  more 
mail.  About  the  22nd  we  lost  many  of  our  cattle  from 
starvation  and  cold.  Deep  snows  fell,  and  drifted  so  that 
our  houses  were  completely  buried,  and  from  the  south 
side  we  could  walk  right  up  on  top  of  our  cabins,  while  on  the 
north  the  snow  drifted  to  the  tops  of  the  doors,  and  packed 
so  hard  in  one  night  that  it  had  to  be  cut  out  with  the 
spade,  the  large  chunks  being  laid  back  on  the  floor  until 
we  could  get  out  far  enough  to  clear  the  houses.  This 
condition  continued  for  many  days.  On  March  8,  the  wind 
blew  fearfully,  and  the  snow  drifted  so  deep  that  we  had  to 
break  snow  roads,  and  then  drive  our  poor  cattle  and 
horses  from  point  to  point  where  the  snow  had  been  blowrn 
off,  leaving  the  grass  bare.  In  this  way  many  of  our  ani- 
mals were  saved. 

On  the  1 2th  of  March,  a  party  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
Shoshone  Indians  came  and  pitched  camp  close  to  the 
blockhouse.  They  were  very  hungry,  and  we  divided 
bread  with  them,  that  being  the  only  kind  of  food  we  had 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  311 

left;  and  in  turn  their  presence  afforded  us  better  opportu- 
nity to  study  their  language  and  customs,  a  knowledge  of 
the  latter  being  essential  to  the  successful  interpreter.  '  On 
March  iS.  more  hungry  Indians  came.  They  appeared 
almost  starved,  and  they  begged  until  they  became  a  nuis- 
ance: yet  we  divided  with  them,  and  ran  ourselves  short 
before  our  store  could  be  replenished.  On  the  27th  we 
turned  out  on  a  general  hunt  for  antelope;  at  this  time  we 
were  living  on  bread  and  water.  Our  hunt  failed,  as  it  was 
probable  the  starving  Indians  had  killed  or  run  off  all  the 
game  from  that  part  of  the  country.  On  the  29th  the 
weather  was  still  blustery,  with  heavv  snow.  We  cleared 
the  blockhouse,  and  had  a  jolly  dance,  to  drive  dull  care 
away.  There  being  no  ladies  to  join  with  us,  we  christened 
it  the  bachelor's  dance. 

April  1st  came,  and  we  cleared  the  snow  and  ice  from 
our  houses.  On  the  5th  we  received  another  mail  from 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  on  the  6th  we  hoisted  the  first  liberty 
pole  that  was  raised  in  Green  River  County  to  spread  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  of  the  United  States  of  America  to  the 
mountain  breeze.  On  the  17th  there  was  continuous  snow 
and  rain,  making  very  disagreeable  weather.  Committees 
were  appointed  to  select  and  stake  off  the  farm  land,  the 
writer  being  on  one  of  the  committees.  We  also  placed  out 
picket  guards  and  chose  men  to  herd  our  stock,  and  corral 
them  at  night.  On  the  18th  we  started  the  plows,  marking 
to  each  mess  their  portion,  as  the  committee  had  been  di- 
rected to  do.  From  the  23rd  to  the  26th  we  had  cold, 
snowy  weather. 

On  the  28th  President  Nebeker  and  C.  Merkley  started 
for  Salt  Lake  City,  and  on  May  1st  D.  R.  Perkins  and 
some  others  left  for  their  homes.  The  rest  of  the  company 
continued  to  plow  and  plant.  On  the  7th  it  snowed,  and  on 
the  8th  Apostle  Orson  Hyde  came  with  twenty-five  new 
men,  bringing  us  a  fresh  supply  of  provisions.    This  supply 


312  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

was  very  much  appreciated,  for  we  were,  and  had  been  for 
some  weeks,  living  on  bread  alone.  The  new  company 
also  brought  our  mail.  I  had  eleven  letters,  all  containing 
good  news  from  home. 

Elder  Hyde  preached  to  us  on  the  evening  of  the  9th, 
and  we  had  good  cheer;  everyone  seemed  to  be  encour- 
aged. We  also  held  a  council  meeting  to  select  Elders  to 
go  to  the  Indian  camps,  and  learn  as  near  as  possible  the 
feeling  of  the  red  men,  and  their  movements,  and  to  carry 
out  the  object  of  our  mission.  In  that  meeting,  Elder  Hyde 
called  on  the  council  for  four  or  five  Elders  to  volunteer  to 
go  east  and  hunt  up  the  Indian  camps.  There  were  seven 
volunieered,  namely,  E.  B.  Ward,  Isaac  Bullock,  John 
Harvey,  J.  Arnold,  W.  S.  Muir,  James  S.  Brown  and  one 
other  whose  name  I  have  lost.  Elder  Hyde  said  that  E. 
B.  Ward,  Isaac  Bullock,  and  James  S.  Brown  were  three 
accepted  from  that  list,  while  James  Davis  was  taken  for 
the  fourth.  The  persons  named  were  then  sustained  by 
the  vote  of  the  council,  without  a  dissenting  voice.  Elder 
Hyde  gave  us  some  instructions,  and  said  the  party  would 
start  in  one  week  from  that  day,  or  as  much  sooner  as  they 
chose. 

The  council  meeting  then  adjourned,  and  Judge  W.  L 
Appleby  organized  the  county  of  Green  River  by  appoint- 
ing the  officers  therefor,  Mr.  Appleby  having  been  duly 
commissioned  as  judge,  and  authorized  to  act  in  the  capac- 
ity in  which  he  did. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  313 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

SET  APART  BY  ELDER  HYDE  FOR  OUR  SPECIAL  MISSION— BLESSING 
CONFERRKD  ON  THE  WRITER— DISCONTENT  IX  (  AMP-UNITY 
AGAIN  PREVAILS-START  ON  OUR  JOURNEY— WARNED  AT  GREEN 
RIYER  TO  GO  NO  FARTHER— NOT  DETERRED  FROM  PERFORMING 
OUR  MISSION  —  PROCEED  ON  OCR  JOURNEY  —  FUTILE  CHASE 
AFTER  BUFFALO  — SCARCITY  OF  WATER  —  A  WELCOME  SNOW 
STORM— REACH  THE  (AMR  oF  WASHAKIE,  THE  SHOSHONE  CHIEF 
—RECEIVED  WITH  CAUTION— TELL  THE  CHIEF  THE  OBJECT  OF 
OUB  VISIT— GIVE  II IM  BREAD  AND  SUGAR— BOILED  BUFFALO  FOR 
AN  EPICURE— INDIAN  POWWOW  CALLED— PROCEEDINGS  AT  THE 
COUNCIL  -OBJECTION  TO  ONE  OF  OCR  PROPOSITIONS,  WHICH  WE 
WERE  NOT  ANNOYED  AT  —  RECITAL  OF  HOW  GOVERNMENT 
AGENTS  SOUGHT  TO  SUPPLANT  WASHAKIE  AS  CHIEF— WASHAKIE 
A  GREAT  ORATOR 

ANOTHER  meeting  was  held  on  the  ioth  of  May,  and 
Elder  Hyde  preached  again.  Then  he  called  on  those 
who  had  been  selected  for  the  mission,  told  us  to  be  wise  as 
serpents  and  harmless  as  doves,  to  be  cautious  and  do  all 
the  good  that  we  could  to  the  red  men,  and  said  that  God 
would  bless  us.  He  also  said,  "I  do  not  know  which  to 
appoint  for  the  leader,  Brother  Brown  or  Brother  Bullock. 
They  are  both  good  men,  but  as  Brother  Bullock  is  the 
eldest,  he  may  have  more  experience."  He  then  blessed 
us,  and  promised  me  in  my  blessing  that  angels  should  go 
before  me,  the  visions  of  the  Lord  should  be  open  to  my 
view,  and  no  weapon  that  was  raised  against  me  should 
prosper,  but  that  I  should  go  forth  in  the  power  and  demon- 
stration of  the  Lord  God,  and  be  mighty  in  gathering  Israel. 
Then  he  further  instructed  the  party,  and  turned  again  to 
me,  pronouncing  more  blessings  in  line  with  those  he  had 
given.  Elder  Hyde  then  started  on  his  return  trip  home,  and 
20 


314  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

we  prepared  ourselves  as  speedily  as  consistent  for  our  ex- 
pedition into  a  country  mostly  unknown  to  us. 

April  nth  and  12th  were  blustery, and  there  was  snow. 
A  reaction  of  spirit  took  place  among  the  brethren  of  the 
camp,  or  probably  it  would  be  more  proper  to  say  that 
another  spirit  came  upon  the  camp — a  spirit  of  great  dis- 
content. For  a  time  it  seemed  as  if  it  would  break  up 
the  mission,  but  finally  it  was  overcome,  and  all  went  well 
again. 

On  the  13th  of  April  we  set  out  on  our  journey,  and 
went  to  Green  River  the  first  day,  through  rain  and  sleet 
part  of  the  time.  At  Green  River  we  found  about  thirty  of 
the  roughest  kind  of  mountain  men,  engaged  in  drinking, 
gambling  and  carousing.  Some  Frenchmen,  Mexicans  or 
"Greasers,"  Indians,  half-breeds,  and  some  Americans  of  a 
low  class,  associated  there,  and  insisted  on  us  dining  with 
them,  and  were  very  hospitable.  They  warned  us  not  to 
venture  any  farther  in  the  direction  that  we  were  going,  say- 
ing that  if  we  did  so  we  would  not  return  alive — that  there 
would  not  be  a  "grease  spot"  left  of  us.  This  statement 
corresponded  with  what  we  had  heard  before,  yet  it  did  not 
deter  us.  There  were  in  the  crowd,  Joshua  Terry,  also  four 
Spaniards  from  the  west,  bound  for  Taos,  New  Mexico. 
They  joined  us,  ana  we  crossed  the  river,  which  was  so 
deep  that  it  was  all  that  we  possibly  could  do  to  ford  it. 
The  venture  was  harder  than  we  expected  it  to  be,  but  we 
succeeded,  and  struck  out  for  the  head  of  Bitter  Creek,  via 
Pilot  Butte,  making  all  the  distance  consistent  with  the  con- 
dition of  our  animals.  When  we  reached  Bitter  Creek,  we 
followed  up  to  the  head,  then  bore  to  the  southeast,  cross- 
ing a  high,  dry  country,  for  two  days  without  water,  then 
came  in  sight  of  a  small  herd  of  buffalo. 

The  Mexicans,  with  Ward  and  Davis,  gave  chase  to 
the  herd,  while  Bullock  and  I  kept  on  our  course  with  the 
pack  animals,  guided  across   the   plains  by  mountain  peaks 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  3 1 5 

and  openings  in  the  range  of  mountains.  The  hunters  did 
not  rejoin  us  until  the  latter  part  of  the  next  day.  They 
succeeded  in  killing  one  poor  buffalo  bull,  and  were  so 
thirsty  that  they  opened  the  tripe  and  drank  the  liquid  it 
contained,  to  save  their  lives,  for  they  were  so  far  gone  as 
not  to  be  able  to  bring  any  portion  of  the  carcass  to  camp. 
That  day  we  came  across  a  shallow  pool  of  water,  where 
we  rested  a  short  time. 

We  had  been  told  that  by  crossing  the  country  in  the 
direction  we  were  going  we  would  be  sure  to  strike  the 
Indian  trail  leading  in  toward  the  headwaters  of  the  Platte 
River;  consequently  we  continued  on  till  we  came  to  the 
main  divide  between  the  waters  of  the  east  and  the  west. 
There  Joshua  Terry  and  the  Spaniards  parted  with  us,  and 
we  kept  along  on  the  divide,  or  summit  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  between  the  Platte  and  the  Rio  Grande,  while 
they  passed  over.  That  night  we  camped  on  the  divide, 
and  had  a  snowstorm  on  us,  in  which  we  were  fortunate,  as 
by  that  means  we  obtained  water  for  ourselves  and  animals. 
The  next  day  we  struck  the  trail  of  a  few  Indians,  and  by 
following  it  up  five  or  six  miles  reached  another  trail  which 
it  ran  into.  This  we  continued  to  follow  until  3  p.  m.,  when 
we  came  to  the  camp  of  Washakie,  the  Shoshone  Indian 
chief. 

The  first  Indian  we  met  would  not  speak  when  we  accost- 
ed him.  He  shook  his  head,  and  pointed  to  the  chief's  lodge. 
That  spirit  of  "mum"  seemed  to  pervade  the  entire  camp,  and 
when  we  rode  up  in  front  of  the  chief's  lodge,  that  Indian 
dignitary  came  out,  bowed,  and  shook  hands  with  each  one 
of  us,  but  without  uttering  a  word.  By  gestures  he  invited 
us  to  dismount,  come  in,  sit  down,  and  tell  the  truth  regard- 
ing our  errand  to  his  camp,  but  no  lies.  Then  he  had  some 
clean,  nice  robes  spread  for  us.  At  the  same  time  his 
women  folks  came  out,  taking  our  horses  by  the  bits.  We 
dismounted,  and  took  seats  as  invited.     The  chief  and  our- 


316  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

selves  were  all  "mum"  until  the  horses  had  been  unsaddled, 
and  everything  belonging  to  us  had  been  put  under  the  bot- 
tom of  the  lodge,  just  to  the  rear  of  where  we  sat. 

These  proceedings  being  over,  the  chief  said:  "Who 
are  you,  from  where  do  you  come,  and  what  is  your  errand 
to  my  country?"  Then,  by  gestures,  he  said,  "Tell  me  the 
truth;  do  not  tell  me  any  lies,  nor  talk  any  crooked  talk." 
Here  he  paused,  and,  by  motions,  invited  us  to  reply. 

We  told  him  we  were  Mormons,  from  the  Salt  Lake 
country,  sent  by  the  big  Mormon  captain,  to  make  the  ac- 
quaintance of  him  and  his  people,  that  we  might  talk  and 
be  friendly  with  them,  as  we  wished  them  to  be  friendly 
with  us  and  with  all  good  people,  as  also  with  all  the 
Indian  tribes,  for  we  all  had  one  Peap  (father),  and  it  was 
not  pleasing  to  Him  to  see  His  children  nabitink  (fight). 
We  said  the  Great  Father  had  told  our  chief  many  things 
about  all  the  Indian  tribes,  and  one  part  of  our  business 
was  to  learn  better  the  Indian  dialects,  manners  and  cus- 
toms, so  that  we  could  tell  the  Indians  what  the  Great  Spirit 
had  told  our  big  captain  about  them.  Another  part  was  to 
warn  them  that  it  would  not  be  many  snows  before  the 
game  of  their  country  would  be  killed  off  or  disappear,  and 
we  wished  to  tell  them,  and  to  show  them  how  to  till  the 
earth,  and  raise  stock,  and  build  houses,  like  the  white  man 
did,  so  that  when  the  game  was  all %  gone  their  wives  and 
children  would  not  starve  to  death.  We  said  that  some  of 
us  might  want  to  come  out  into  his  country  and  marry  some 
of  their  good  daughters  and  rear  families  by  them.  We 
would  educate  them,  so  they  could  read  some  good  books 
that  we  had,  and  from  them  they  could  learn  more  about 
the  Great  Father,  or  Spirit. 

Washakie  sat  and  listened  very  attentively  until  we 
were  through,  when  he  said,  "Wait  a  while.  My  little 
children  are  very  hungry  for  some  of  the  white  man's  food, 
and  they  want  some  sugar." 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  31*7 

At  that  we  gave  him  all  the  bread  and  sugar  we  had. 
He  passed  it  to  his  wife,  who  in  turn  distributed  it  to  the 
hungry  little  ones.  Then,  without  another  word,  the  chief 
walked  out,  but  soon  returned.  His  wife  then  set  a  camp 
kettle  partly  filled  with  buffalo  beef  that  had  been  partially 
dried. 

If  I  should  tell  the  stranger  to  Indian  customs  how  it 
was  seasoned,  I  doubt  not  he  would  say.  "I  could  not  eat 
of  such  food.  I  know  I  should  starve  to  death  first."  But 
stop,  my  friend,  do  not  be  too  positive  about  that.  These 
Indians  have  a  custom  among  them  that  when  they  kill  a 
buffalo  they  skin  it,  leaving  the  carcass  on  the  hide;  then 
they  slice  the  flesh  in  long  strips,  remove  the  bones,  turn 
the  contents  of  the  tripe  over  the  meat,  thoroughly  knead 
or  mix  it  all  through  the  beef,  and,  with  a  slight  shake,  hang 
the  meat  on  a  horse  rope  or  lay  it  on  some  sticks  for  a  few 
hours;  then  they  put  it  into  a  camp  kettle  and  boil  it,  when 
it  is  ready  for  their  guests.  Such  was  part  of  the  life  on 
the  great  western  plains  in  1854. 

Supper  over,  the  council  of  the  camp  began  to  file  in; 
the  pipe  was  lit,  and  a  rude  figure  of  some  of  the  planets 
ets  drawn  in  the  ashes  of  the  fire  that  occupied  the  center 
of  the  lodge.  Then  the  old  man  sitting  on  the  left  of  the 
chief  held  the  pipe,  we  having  been  seated  on  the  right  of 
the  chief.  The  latter  commenced,  and  told  the  story  of 
our  visit,  from  the  time  we  came  into  the  lodge  up  to  that 
moment.  It  was  told  without  interruption,  and  then  the 
pipe  was  started  on  its  way,  following  the  course  of  the  sun. 
Every  man  except  the  one  holding  the  pipe  put  his  hand  over 
his  mouth,  and  sat  perfectly  silent  and  still.  The  one  with 
the  pipe  took  from  one  to  three  long  draws,  allowing  the 
smoke  from  the  last  one  to  escape  gradually  through  his 
nostrils,  at  the  same  time  passing  the  pipe  with  his  right 
hand  to  the  next  person;  then,  if  he  had  anything  to  say,  he 
did  it  in  as  few  words   as    possible,  and   put   his  hand  over 


318  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

his  mouth,  thus  signifying  that  he  had  no  more  to  say.  Oc- 
casionally some  old  man,  when  he  took  the  pipe,  made  some 
signs  above  and  in  front  of  him,  struck  himself  on  the  breast 
and  offered  a  few  words  of  prayer.  Thus  the  pipe  was 
whiffed  by  all  the  Indians  of  the  council,  and  was  then 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  white  men,  who,  in  turn,  took 
a  whiff  as  a  vow  of  peace  and  friendship.  Then  the  pipe 
went  to  the  chief,  who  glanced  around  the  circle,  and,  as 
every  man's  hand  was  over  his  mouth,  the  chief  summed 
up  the  subject  in  a  few  words,  but  always  to  the  point. 
There  being  no  appeal  from  this  decision,  it  is  usual  at  the 
conclusion  of  councils  for  some  one  present  to  walk  through 
the  camp  and  cry  aloud  that  portion  intended  for  the  public, 
or  if  it  is  an  order  for  the  whole  camp,  they  get  it  in  the 
same  way.  This  crier  was  called  the  high  ranger  of  the 
camp. 

In  our  case,  the  only  objection  that  was  raised  to  our 
proposition  was  when  we  suggested  that  some  of  us  might 
want  to  take  some  of  the  young  Indian  women  for  wives. 
One  old  and  wise  counselor  said,  "No,  for  we  have  not  got 
daughters  enough  for  our  own  men,  and  we  cannot  afford 
to  give  our  daughters  to  the  white  man,  but  we  are  willing 
to  give  him  an  Indian  girl  for  a  white  girl.  I  cannot  see 
why  a  white  man  wants  an  Indian  girl.  They  are  dirty, 
ugly,  stubborn  and  cross,  and  it  is  a  strange  idea  for  white 
men  to  want  such  wives.  But  I  can  see  why  an  Indian 
wants  a  white  woman."  Then  the  old  man  drew  a  graphic 
picture  of  the  contrast  he  was  making,  and  we  gave  up  that 
point  without  pursuing  our  suit  farther.  Chief  Washakie, 
however,  said  the  white  men  might  look  around,  and  if  any 
one  of  us  found  a  girl  that  would  go  with  him,  it  would  be 
all  right,  but  the  Indians  must  have  the  same  privilege 
among  the  white  men.     With  this  the  council  ended. 

At  that  time  Washakie  told  us  that  only  a  few  snows 
before   then   he   was   chief   of  all   the  Shoshones,  and  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  319 

Indians  acknowledged  him  as  such,  but  he  was  called  to 
Fort  Laramie,  to  have  a  talk  with  the  agents  of  the  big 
father  at  Washington,  and  to  receive  blankets  and  many 
other  things.  There  the  agents  called  a  quiet,  unobtrusive 
man,  who  never  had  been  a  chief,  nor  was  in  the  line  of 
chiefs,  and  designated  him  as  head  of  the  Shoshones,  tell- 
ing the  Indians  they  must  have  him  as  chief,  and  respect 
him  as  such,  and  that  they,  the  agents,  would  recognize  him 
in  that  position,  and  through  him  they  would  do  all  gov- 
ernment business.  Then  the  agents  passed  out  a  great 
quantity  of  blankets  and  other  Indian  goods,  through  their 
appointed  chief.  In  this  act,  the  Indians  saw  that  the  agents 
had  chosen  a  favorite  of  their  own,  so  the  red  men  called 
him  "Tavendu-wets"  (the  white  man's  child),  but  never 
recognized  him  as  chief. 

That  act  of  the  government  agents  was  the  opening 
wedge  to  divide  the  Shoshone  tribe  into  discontented  factions, 
and  thereby  weaken  it.  Possibly  that  was  the  purpose  in 
view,  for  before  that  the  tribe  was  very  powerful,  with  a 
chief  at  their  head  unexcelled  for  bravery,  skill  and  far- 
sightedness. Chief  Washakie  was  a  bold,  noble,  hospitable, 
and  honorable  man.  As  an  orator,  I  think  he  surpassed 
any  man  I  ever  met. 


320  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

LEAN  E  WASHAKIE'S  CAMP  For  THE  OTHER  PORTION  OF  THE  SHOSHONE 

TRIBE— INDIAN  (.TIDE  LEAVES  US -FOLLOWING  A  TRAIL— SIGHT 
THE  OTHER  CAMP— WAS  SONGS  AND  DANCES— INDIANS  PREPARING 
FOR  WAR— CHIEF  GIVES  UP  HIS  LODGE  To  is,  WARNING  US  OF 
MEN  IN  His  (AMR  HE  CANNOT  CONTROL— INDIAN  CRAVES  IN 
WAR  PAINT— SURROUNDED  BY  FIFTEEN  HUNDRED  OR  TWO  THOU- 
SAND INDIANS— LEARN  THAT  L.  B.  RYAN,  A  WHITE  DESPERADO 
CHIEF,  IS  IN  CAMP.  AND  HAS  SWORN  VENGEANCE  ON  MORMONS— 
ESCAPE  SEEMS  IMPOSSIBLE,  BUT  WE  TRUST  IN  GOD— RETIRE  FOR 
THE  NIGHT— RYAN  AND  SEVEN  WARRIORS  AT  OUR  LODGE— RYAN 
ENTERS  AND  DEMANDS  To  KNOW  WHERE  WE  ARE  FROM,  AND 
OUR  BUSINESS— HE  is  TOLD,  THREATENS  US,  AND  SUMMONS  HIS 
INDIAN  BRAVES  INSIDE  OUR  LODGE— THOUGH  THE  ENEMY  ARE 
TWO  TO  ONE,  WE  ARE  READY  FOR  THEM— PREPARE  FOR'  A 
FIGHT  TO  THE  DEATH— RYAN  AND  HIS  MEN  LEAVE  THE  LODGE— 
WAR  DANCE  OUTSIDE—  WE  CONCLUDE  TO  SELL  OUR  LIVES  As 
DEARLY  As  POSSIBLE— WAR  PARTY  APPROACH  THE  LODGE  AND 
SLIT  IT  IN  A  NUMBER  OF  PLACES,  THEN  SUDDENLY  DEPART— 
OUR  LIVES  BEING  SPARED,  WE  REMAIN  IN  CAMP  TILL  NEXT  DAY 
—THE  CHIEF  BEFRIEND-  D"S,  WARNING  US  NOT  TO  RETURN  THE 
WAY  WE  CAME— DI8PUTE  AS  TO  THE  ROUTE  OF  TRAVEL,  AND 
HOW  IT  IS  SETTLED— SATISFIED  THAT  RYAN  INTENDED  TO  AM- 
BUSH (JS— RAINSTORM  OBLITERATES  OUR  TRACK: — CAMP  IN  THE 
RAIN— ON  THE  ALERT  FOB  AN  ENEMY— SHOOT  A  BUFFALO— WARD 
AND  DAVIS  GIVE  CHASE,  WHILE  BULLOCK  AND  I  CONTINUE  ON 
OUR  ROUTE— CAMP  AT  A  WASH-BULLOCK  TAKEN  VERT  ILL— A 
TERRIBLE  NIGHT-WARD  AND  DAVIS  Not  RETURNING  BY  MORN- 
[NG,  WE  MOVE  ON— FEAR  THAT  BULLOCK  WILL  DIE— DISCOVER 
OCR  COMRADES  IN  THE  I  ANYON -BEING  HUNGRY,  WE  OVEREAT 
—ANOTHER  NIGHT  OF  SICKNE8! — EMERGE  FROM  THE  CANYON- 
PRESS  FORWARD  TO  GREEN  RIVER— WEI.t  OMED  BY  FRIENDS- 
THREE  OF  OUR  PARTY  GO  ONTO  FORT  SUPPLY',  AND  I  REMAIN  TO 
MEET  CHIEF  WASHAKIE. 

THE  morning  after  the  council,  Chief  Washakie  asked 
us  where  we  were  going  to  from  his  camp.    We  said 
we  wished  to  go   to   White   Man's  Child's   camp   of  Sho- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  321 

shones.  Said  he,  "Maybe  that  is  good,  maybe  not.  I 
don't  know.  I  hear  there  are  bad  men  over  there.  I 
don't  know.''  As  there  was  no  trail  leading  to  that  camp, 
we  asked  him  to  send  a  guide  with  us.  He  replied,  "Maybe 
one  go."  Our  horses  having  been  brought  up,  we  saddled 
them,  and  after  a  good  friendly  shake  of  the  hand  of  the 
chief  and  of  some  of  his  council,  we  started  to  the  south- 
east, with  a  young  brave  on  the  lead.  When  we  had 
traveled  about  twenty  miles,  our  guide  disappeared  over  a 
ridge,  but  as  we  had  come  to  a  trail  it  did  not  matter  to  us 
so  long  as  we  could  see  pony  tracks  to  follow.  Still  a  feel- 
ing of  mistrust  lurked  within  us,  as  it  had  done  all  day.  We 
discussed  the  matter,  but  could  see  no  other  way  open  than 
to  press  forward. 

Soon  we  ascended  a  hill,  from  the  top  of  which  we 
could  hear  a  drum,  then  many  voices  in  a  war  song.  As 
we  rounded  a  little  point  of  the  hill  we  saw  numerous 
lodges,  and  what  appeared  to  be  thousands  of  Indians.  A 
large  proportion  of  the  latter  were  dancing  and  singing 
songs.  About  this  time  we  felt  a  heavy  feeling,  and  were 
certain  that  the  spirit  of  murder  was  in  the  Indian  camp. 
Everybody  we  met  until  we  came  to  the  chief's  lodge 
looked  as  if  they  were  going  to  war,  judging  by  the  expres- 
sion of  their  eyes. 

The  chief  came  slowly  out,  coolly  shook  hands  with 
us,  ordered  our  stock  taken  care  of,  and  a  dish  of  boiled 
meat  set  before  us.  Then  his  family  left  the  lodge,  taking 
their  effects,  leaving  only  three  robes  for  us.  The  sun  was 
just  setting,  and  the  chief  said  we  could  occupy  his  lodge 
that  night,  as  he  was  going  away,  being  afraid  to  stop  there, 
as  there  were  men  in  camp  that  he  could  not  control.  Then 
he  walked  off  and  out  of  sight. 

At  this  time  three  braves  came  by  in  their  war  paint, 
stepping  along  very  lightly,  and  stripped  and  armed  as  if 
ready   for   a   fight.     They   took  a  sharp  glance  at  us,  then 


32  2  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

passed  on  up  the  creek,  to  where  the  singing  and  dancing 
were  going  on.  Then  war  whoops  rent  the  air,  and  we 
were  alone  around  the  campfire. 

There  we  were,  surrounded  by  three  hundred  Indian 
lodges,  and  between  fifteen  hundred  and  two  thousand 
Indians,  principally  Shoshones,  though  there  were  Chey- 
ennes  and  Arapahoes  mixed  with  them,  for  trading  purposes, 
we  supposed.  It  was  dark,  our  horses  had  been  taken  away, 
we  knew  not  where,  and  we  were  between  four  and  five 
hundred  miles  from  any  source  of  protection,  so  far  as 
we  knew.  The  chief  had  confessed  his  inability  to  con- 
trol some  men-  in  his  camp,  and  had  acknowledged  that 
he  was  afraid  to  stop  in  his  own  lodge,  he  and  his  family 
seeking  safer  quarters.  We  were  also  without  food,  and 
the  shadow  of  death  seemed  to  hover  over  and  close  around 
us,  while  the  war  song  and  dance  were  heard  plainly.  We 
had  also  learned  that  L.  B.  Ryan,  successor  to  Samuel 
Callwell  as  chief  of  the  organized  band  of  desperadoes,  was 
at  that  time  beating  up  and  organizing  a  war  party  to 
carry  on  his  nefarious  work  of  robbery,  and  that  he  had 
sworn  vengeance  on  the  first  Mormons  that  he  met.  We 
believed  that  he  was  the  uncontrollable  power  that  the  chief 
had  referred  to. 

Under  these  circumstances,  it  was  a  grave  question  as 
to  what  we  could  do  for  the  best.  Escape  by  flight  was 
impossible,  and  as  for  attempting  to  fight  three  hundred  to 
one,  that  was  folly.  Then  what  should  we  do?  Put  our 
trust  in  God,  and  go  to  bed,  and  if  we  were  killed  we 
wouldn't  have  to  fall.  This  was  our  conclusion,  so  we  at- 
tended prayers,  and  retired  about  8  o'clock. 

Soon  the  drum  and  some  kind  of  whistle  were  heard 
drawing  closer  to  us.  In  a  few  minutes  our  outdoor  fire 
was  surrounded  by  L.  B.  Ryan  and  seven  young  warriors, 
all  well  armed  with  Colt's  revolvers.  The  Indians  had  bows 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    [AMES    S.    BROWN.  323 

and  arrows  in  hand,  ready  for  action.  Thei  paleface  com- 
panion undoubtedly  was  the  leader. 

After  a  brief  pause,  Ryan  came  into  the  lodge  and 
squatted  down  just  opposite  to  where  Bullock  and  I  lay. 
He  picked  up  a  stick  of  wood,  and  with  a  cutlass  chipped 
off  pjeces  and  stirred  up  the  coals,  starting  a  bright  light. 
Then  he  said.  '-Gentlemen,  where  do  you  hail  from,  and 
what  is  your  business  here?" 

Mr.  Bullock  being  spokesman,  informed  him  that  we 
were  from  Utah,  and  our  business  in  part  was  to  get  ac- 
quainted with  the  Indians,  to  ascertain  the  openings  for 
trade,  and  to  look  out  the  resources  of  the  country. 

Ryan  continued,  ''Gentlemen,  if  you  have  got  any 
papers  for  me,  bring  them  out.  I  have  been  robbed  by  the 
Mormons  of  my  bottom  dollar,  and  by  the  eternal  gods  I 
am  going  to  have  revenge." 

He  then  smote  the  billet  of  wood  a  heavy  blow,  at 
which  signal  the  seven  braves  filed  into  the  lodge,  and 
squatted  in  order,  with  bows  tightly  corded,  and  arrows  in 
hand.  Ward,  Davis,  and  I,  were  fully  prepared  to  meet 
the  attack  as  best  we  could.  Bullock  having  the  talking  to 
do,  was  not  so  well  prepared,  until  I  rubbed  his  ribs  with 
my  bowie  knife  handle,  when  he  got  ready  as  quickly  as 
possible.  There  were  eight  against  four,  all  inside  of  one 
Indian  lodge,  watching  for  the  signal  from  Ryan,  and  we 
would  have  acted  promptly  on  his  signal,  or  that  of  one  of 
his  braves,  and  without  doubt  would  have  got  our  share  of 
the  game,  in  exchanging  lead  for  arrows.  It  is  possible  that 
Ryan  took  the  same  view,  for  he  suddenly  rose  up  and 
walked  out,  the  warriors  following  him.  They  closed  the 
lodge  door  behind  them,  thus  giving  us  the  opportunity  to 
consult,  while  they  held  their  council  and  danced  around  the 
fire  and  sang. 

We  hastily  concluded  that  if  they  entered  again  it  would 
be  to  massacre  our  party,  and  that  if  they  began  to  come  in 


324  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

we  would  fire  on  them  the  moment  they  opened  the  deer- 
skin door.  I,  being  in  the  most  convenient  position,  was  to 
give  the  first  shot,  presuming  that  Ryan  would  be  in  the  lead, 
and  we  would  be  sure  to  dispose  of  him  in  that  way.  Mean- 
while, all  the  rest  would  fire  into  the  war  party,  whose 
shadows  could  be  seen  through  the  lodge,  as  they  were  be- 
tween it  and  a  big  outdoor  fire.  The  next  move  on  our 
part  was  for  Davis,  who  lay  most  convenient  to  the  back  part 
of  the  lodge,  to  make  with  his  knife  as  large  an  opening  as 
possible  in  the  lodge,  that  we  might  escape  through  it  into 
the  creek  that  passed  near  by,  the  banks  of  which  were 
only  six  or  eight  feet  high.  Our  decision  was  that  the  mo- 
ment we  left  the  lodge  every  man  was  to  try  and  if  possi- 
ble make  his  escape,  no  matter  what  the  conditions  might 
be,  so  that  if  either  one  of  us  could  get  away,  and  tell  where 
he  last  saw  the  rest,  it  might  be  some  satisfaction  to  our 
friends  and  relatives.  Then  each  man  took  the  most  easy 
position  to  act  his  part,  made  ready  his  firelock,  and  held  it 
with  finger  on  the  trigger. 

Just  then  the  party  outside  came  around  in  their  dance 
circle,  straight  for  the  lodge  door,  Ryan  in  the  lead.  They 
sang  and  danced  right  up  to  the  door,  but  did  not  lift  it. 
Next  they  circled  around  the  lodge,  and  with  their  scalping 
knives,  or  some  other  sharp  instruments,  slit  the  lodge  in  a 
number  of  places.  Then,  as  they  came  around  to  the  front, 
they  gave  a  war  whoop,  and  passed  up  the  creek  in  the  direc- 
tion whence  they  came.  Thus  we  still  lived,  and  were 
spared  the  awful  necessity  of  shedding  man's  blood,  even  in 
self-defense,  thanks  be  to  God  for  His  protection  and  mer- 
cies. Still  the  clouds  hung  so  low,  and  so  thickly  around, 
that  we  could  not  feel  safe  in  an  attempt  to  leave  camp. 

Next  morning  the  chief  sent  us  some  boiled  buffalo 
beef,  and  called  and  talked  a  few  moments.  He  impressed 
us  with  the  fact  that  the  danger  was  not  yet  over,  and  that 
we  were  safer  in  his  lodge  and  camp  than  we  would  be  out 


326  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

of  it,  so  we  contented  ourselves  as  best  we  could  by  loiter- 
ing around,  while  the  drum  and  the  whistling  reeds  of 
the  war  party,  and  the  wild  shouts,  continued  all  day.  At 
last  night  came,  and  we  turned  in,  as  we  had  done  the 
evening  before,  with  all  our  clothes,  arms  and  boots  on. 

Nothing  occurred  that  night  to  mar  our  peace,  but  the 
ever  threatening  din  of  the  drum  and  the  savage  yell  of  the 
red  man.  Again  the  morning  light  broke  over  us,  and  our 
scalps  were  still  in  place,  but  the  very  elements  seemed  to 
say,  "Stay  in  camp."  The  Spirit  whispered  to  every  one 
of  us  the  same  thing.  We  were  a  unit,  and  therefore 
lingered  in  the  place,  closely  watching  every  move. 

Finally  the  chief  came,  and  our  horses  were  brought. 
This  was  at  about  1  o'clock  p.  m.  Then,  as  plainly  as  ever 
we  saw  the  clouds  in  the  firmament  break  and  scatter,  we 
felt  the  clouds  of  death  begin  to  part.  We  waited  no  longer; 
our  horses  were  saddled,  packs  were  put  in  place,  and  the 
chief  gave  us  a  slight  indication,  letting  us  understand  that 
it  was  a  good  time  to  move.  At  that  moment  Ryan  and  his 
allies  came  up,  apparently  changed  in  their  behavior.  Ryan 
inquired  of  us  by  what  route  we  intended  to  return.  Mr. 
Bullock  said  we  expected  to  go  to  Washakie's  camp,  and 
thence  back  by  the  same  route  we  had  come  on.  Imme- 
diately the  chief  stepped  away  into  the  brush,  we  mounted, 
and  saying  good-bye,  started  down  the  creek. 

A  few  moments  later,  as  we  rounded  a  bend,  the  chief 
popped  out  of  the  brush  just  in  front  of  and  so  as  to  meet  us. 
Without  seeming  to  notice  us  in  the  least,  he  said,  "Do  not  go 
the  way  you  said  you  would,  for  there  are  men  in  my  camp 
that  1  cannot  control."  Brother  Bullock  did  not  catch  the 
idea,  but  the  other  three  of  us  did.  We  understood  his 
action  as  well  as  his  words.  Soon  we  came  to  where  we 
had  got  to  decide  which  course  we  would  take.  Brother 
Bullock  was  determined  to  keep  his  word,  and  go  by  the 
route  that  he  had    told   Ryan   he  would   do,  but  the  three 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAxMES    S.    BROWN.  327 

-others  were  a  unit  in  insisting  on  taking  another  way.  We 
told  him  we  understood  perfectly  the  chief,  that  if  we  went 
by  that  route  we  would  be  ambushed,  and  every  soul  of  us 
would  be  killed.  Still  Brother  Bullock  insisted  on  keeping 
his  word  with  the  Indians;  and  more,  he  had  promised 
Washakie  that  he  would  return  by  his  camp.  Then  Ward 
and  Davis  came  straight  out  and  said  thev  knew  that  meant 
death,  and  they  would  not  follow  on  that  trail;  so  they 
started  off  another  way. 

At  this  juncture  I  said:  ''Brother  Bullock,  I  never 
deserted  my  file-leader  in  my  life,  and  I  will  not  do  it  now. 
I  will  follow  you  to  the  death,  for  I  am  certain  that  path 
leads  there,  and  if  you  persist  in  going  that  way  I  will 
follow,  and  will  claim  my  blood  at  your  hands,  for  the 
others,  the  three  of  us,  see  alike."  Then  Ward  and  Davis 
turned  and  said  that  on  the  same  conditions  as  those  I  had 
named  they  would  go  with  Brother  Bullock;  but  the  latter 
said  the  price  was  too  great,  and  he  would  go  with  us,  but 
he  very  much  regretted  breaking  his  word  with  the  red 
man. 

Every  minute  was  precious  at  that  time.  We  were 
well  satisfied  that  Ryan  would  not  shrink  to  do  from  am- 
bush what  he  had  hesitated  to  do  in  the  chief's  lodge,  and 
that  if  he  could  strike  our  trail  he  would  do  it  to  the  death; 
so  we  made  the  best  speed  consistent  with  the  conditions 
surrounding  us. 

As  we  were  passing  up  the  long  slope  of  the  mountain, 
and  while  yet  almost  in  sight  of  the  camp,  a  small,  dense, 
black  cloud  arose  in  the  south.  It  passed  in  our  rear  and 
over  the  Indian  camp,  and  torrents  of  rain  seemed  to  fall 
there,  while  we  were  caught  only  in  the  storm's  edge. 
Thus  our  tracks  were  completely  obliterated.  Soon  we 
came  into  a  trail  leading  along  our  way,  and  followed  it  to 
quite  a  bold  running  creek.  As  the  rain  had  ceased  where 
we  were,  to  further  elude  our  enemies  we  followed  up   in 


328  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

the  bed  of  the  creek  until  we  came  to  a  rocky  ridge  which 
led  us  up  among  the  cliffs,  where  it  would  be  difficult  for 
any  one  to  follow  us  and  make  much  headway.  While 
there  among  the  rocks,  Ward  and  Davis  saw  an  old  moun- 
tain sheep,  which  they  pursued  and  captured,  but  he  fell  in 
a  place  so  difficult  of  access,  and  night  coming  on,  that  it 
was  impossible  to  get  but  a  small  portion  of  him.  Bullock 
and  I  kept  on  our  course,  and  were  overtaken  by  our  com- 
panions just  at  dark. 

We  pushed  on  as  quickly  as  possible,  for  the  rain  was 
coming  on  in  torrents.  At  last  the  ni^ht  became  so  densely 
dark  that  we  could  only  keep  together  by  the  noise  of  our 
camp  equipage,  and  by  talking.  It  was  impossible  to  see 
where  we  were  going,  so  we  camped  in  a  sag.  It  rained 
so  hard  that  it  was  with  much  work  that  we  started  a  fire,, 
and  then  it  was  quite  as  difficult  to  keep  it  going  till  we 
could  frizzle  a  morsel  of  the  old  ram;  so  each  bolted  his 
rations  half  raw,  and  having  hobbled  our  animals  securely, 
we  rolled  ourselves  in  half-wet  blankets  and  laid  down  or> 
the  ground,  which  already  had  been  soaked  to  the  consist- 
ency of  mud,  and  we  wallowed  there  until  next  morning. 
Then  two  of  us  brought  up  and  saddled  horses,  while  the 
other  two  frizzled  a  little  more  of  the  ram,  which  was 
bolted,  as  before,  for  it  was  too  tough  to  chew  in  a  way 
anything  like  satisfactory.  W^e  then  wrung  our  blankets, 
for  they  were  full  of  water,  as  in  the  place  where  we  had 
laid  down  the  water  was  half  shoetop  deep. 

By  sunrise  we  were  mounted,  feeling  satisfied  that  our 
track  of  the  day  before  had  been  covered  up,  and  thirty 
miles  of  our  flight  was  behind  us.  The  country  was  high 
and  barren,  but  we  avoided  conspicuous  points,  and  traveled 
the  most  secluded  way,  ever  on  the  alert  to  catch  the  first 
sight  of  an  enemy,  or  of  any  kind  of  game,  for  our  portion 
of  flesh  of  the  ram  of  the  Rockies  had  disappeared. 

In  the  after  part  of  the  day  the  sun  shone.     This  was 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  329 

while  we  were  crossing  the  head  of  an  open  flat,  in  a  dry 
country,  with  a  dry  gully  coursing  down  through  it.  This 
gully  was  fringed  with  an  abundant  growth  of  sagebrush, 
and  as  we  looked  down  the  flat  we  saw  some  animals  com- 
ing out  from  a  bend  in  the  gully.  We  ascertained  to  our 
delight  that  there  were  seven  buffaloes.  Our  decision  was 
to  spare  no  efforts  in  an  endeavor  to  secure  one  of  the  ani- 
mals, for  this  was  a  rare  chance,  as  the  Indians  had 
hunted  every  bit  of  game  that  it  was  possible  for  them  to 
do  in  that  part  of  the  country. 

To  accomplish  our  most  desirable  object  at  this  partic- 
ular time.  Ward,  Davis  and  I  secured  our  horses,  leaving 
Bullock  to  guard  them  and  the  pack  mules.  The  three  of 
us  made  our  way  down  the  gulch,  and  as  the  wind  came  to 
us  from  the  buffaloes,  there  was  no  danger  of  them  scenting 
us.  Thus  we  secured  an  excellent  position. and  waiting  a  few 
minutes  for  them  to  feed  to  within  about  sixty  yards  of  us, 
we  decided  on  the  one  that  had  the  sleekest  coat,  thinking 
he  would  be  the  best  beef;  for  all  were  very  poor  old  bulls, 
and  we  did  not  wish  to  injure  more  than  we  needed  to  keep 
us  from  starvation.  We  all  took  deliberate  aim,  and  three 
rifles  rang  out  as  one.  The  only  result  visible  to  us  was 
that  the  game  wheeled,  and  ran  directly  on  the  back  track, 
leaving  us  without  even  a  hope  of  buffalo  meat  until  we  fol- 
lowed on  their  trail  seventy  or  eighty  rods.  There  we  found 
where  one  animal  had  cast  his  cud,  and  later  we  saw  some 
blood  splattered  about.  All  felt  sure  we  had  hit  the  buf- 
falo, for  each  knew  how  his  rifle  shot,  and  said  he"  never 
drew  a  nicer  bead  on  an  animal  in  his  life.  Then  Ward 
and  Davis  got  their  horses  and  gave  chase,  as  the  game 
had  run  almost  parallel  with  our  route  toward  the  notch  in 
the  mountains  for  which  we  were  aiming. 

Bullock  and  I  kept  on  the  course  our  party  had  marked 
out  to  travel,  but  before  we  reached  the  mountain  pass  we 
were  heading  for,  night  and  rain  came  on,  and   we   had  to 

21 


33°  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

camp  in  an  open  greasewood  plain.  Coming  to  a  very  deep 
wash  that  had  good  feed  in  it,  we  concluded  to  hobble 
our  animals  in  the  wash.  It  was  difficult  to  get  our  stock 
in,  as  the  banks  were  very  steep,  but  at  last  we  succeeded 
in  getting  them  down,  and  felt  that  they  were  tolerably  safe 
for  the  night,  with  some  watching.  We  gathered  a  little 
greasewood,  for  there  wTas  no  other  fuel,  and  tried  to  get  a 
tire  started  in  the  rain  and  darkness. 

During  this  time,  Bullock  began  to  have  cramps,  in  the 
stomach  and  bowels,  and  then  in  his  limbs,  and  soon  he  was 
taken  with  a  heavy  chill.  It  seemed  that  he  would  die,  in 
spite  of  all  that  I  could  do  for  him.  I  rubbed  him,  prayed 
for  him,  and  put  him  in  a  pack  of  wet  blankets,  for  we  had 
no  other,  and  were  without  any  earthly  comfort  for  such 
an  emergency.  At  last  I  caught  some  rain  in  the  frying- 
pan,  then  got  hold  of  our  cracker  sack,  in  which  was  about 
two  tablespoonfuls  of  crumbs  and  dust  that  had  rubbed  off 
the  crackers.  I  heated  the  water,  put  the  crumbs  in,  and 
brought  the  mixture  to  a  boil,  stirring  it  so  that  it  appeared 
something  like  gruel,  and  gave  it  to  the  sick  man,  who 
became  easier.  Then  I  went  out,  feeling  my  way,  to  see 
what  had  become  of  our  stock,  and  got  so  far  off  in  the 
darkness  that  I  had  great  difficulty  in  finding  my  way  back 
to  my  sick  companion,  but  after  much  anxiety  and  bother 
I  found  him  suffering  intensely.  I  set  to  work  rubbing 
him  and  encouraging  him  the  best  I  could.  I  spent  the 
entire  night  in  attending  to  him  and  watching  the  stock. 

Morning  came,  and  still  the  hunters  were  unheard  of. 
At  one  time  I  almost  despaired  of  the  sick  man's  life,  and 
thought,  if  he  died,  what  could  I  do  with  him,  so  far  away 
from  help.  I  could  not  take  him  home,  neither  could  I  put 
him  out  of  reach  of  wild  beasts,  for  I  had  no  spade, 
pickaxe  or  shovel;  nor  was  there  timber  in  sight  to  cremate 
him.  I  had  not  a  mouthful  of  food,  and  what  had  become 
of  our  partners,  Ward  and   Davis,  I  could   not   tell.     Then 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  33 1 

came  the  reaction  of  the  spirit,  and  the  thought  that  I  must 
do  the  best  that  I  could.  It  would  not  do  to  despair.  I 
must  pray  for  the  patient,  pack  up,  and  get  out  of  that 
place. 

The  patient  seemed  to  rally  with  the  dawn  of  day,  and 
by  sunrise  we  were  on  our  way,  and  entered  the  canyon 
we  had  been  heading  for.  We  saw  no  signs  of  our  friends 
until  we  reached  their  camp  in  the  canyon,  for  it  had  rained 
so  heavily  as  to  obliterate  the  horse  tracks.  As  they  had 
gone  on,  we  were  not  quite  sure  that  it  was  their  camp  and 
tracks,  and  the  canyon  afforded  excellent  opportunity  for 
ambush.  But  we  were  there  and  must  go  through.  The 
sick  man  held  up  with  wonderful  fortitude,  though  suffering 
greatly.  About  2  p.  m.  we  sighted  our  comrades,  the 
buffalo  hunters.  They  mistook  us  for  enemies  and  fled, 
until  they  found  a  convenient  place  to  hide  themselves  and 
horses,  and  where  they  watched  until  they  saw  the  gleam- 
ing of  the  sunlight  upon  our  rifle  barrels.  Then  they  rec- 
ognized us,  and  as  we  came  up   we   had  a  warm  greeting. 

Being  together  once  more  we  hid  our  animals  among 
the  cedars,  and  selected  our  camp  with  care,  as  it  was  night. 
Our  hunters  had  been  successful,  after  a  chase  of  ten  miles, 
in  getting  the  buffalo;  they  had  a  hard  and  hazardous  fight 
with  the  wounded  animal,  and  it  took  them  till  after  dark 
before  they  could  get  what  buffalo  meat  they  could  carry 
on  their  horses.  They  also  had  a  very  severe  night  of  it; 
but  the  lost  were  found,  and  with  plenty  of  buffalo  meat  in 
camp  we  were  thankful. 

We  broiled  and  ate,  boiled  and  ate  and  ate  raw  liver, 
and  marrow  out  of  the  bones;  for  be  known  that  men 
in  the  condition  we  were,  with  severe  hunger,  do  not  al- 
ways realize  how  much  they  have  eaten  until  they  eat 
too  much.  So  it  was  with  us.  When  we  were  through 
with  the  meal,  we  prepared  to  "jerk"  the  remainder  of  the 
beef,  but  before  that  was  done  my  three  companions   were 


332  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

attacked  with  vomiting  and  purging;  then  followed  chills 
and  cramps,  and  for  about  four  or  five  hours  it  seemed  they 
might  all  die.  I  could  not  say  which  would  go  first,  and 
the  previous  night's  experience  was  reiterated.  I  confess 
that  I  had  been  guilty  of  as  much  folly  and  unreason  as 
they,  but  being  more  robust  than  the  others,  I  could  endure 
more  than  they;  but  I  had  the  very  same  kind  of  an  attack 
as  they  did,  before  the  journey  was  over. 

When  morning  came,  a  sicker  and  a  harder  looking 
lot  of  men  seldom  is  seen  in  the  mountains.  Yet  we  must 
travel,  so  passed  through  that  canyon  out  onto  an  open 
plain,  leaving  the  creek  to  the  south  of  us.  In  the  after- 
noon we  came  to  a  smooth  clay  grade,  on  which  were 
fresh  horse  and  moccasin  tracks,  and  four  large  capital  let- 
ters, in  English;  I  think  they  were  N,  W,  H  and  E.  We 
concluded  they  had  been  marked  out  with  a  sharp  stick, 
but  not  in  a  manner  intelligible  to  us,  so  we  were  suspicious 
and  cautiously  pushed  on  to  a  place  of  shelter  and  rest. 

It  was  on  the  ist  day  of  June  that  we  reached  the  Middle 
Ferry  on  Green  River,  Green  River  County,  Utah.  There 
we  met  with  W.  I.  Appleby,  probate  judge,  Hosea  Stout, 
prosecuting  attorney,  William  Hickman,  sheriff,  Captain 
Hawley,  the  ferryman,  and  his  family  and  some  others. 
They  did  not  have  to  be  told  what  we  most  needed,  but  sup- 
plied with  liberal  hand  our  necessities,  for  all  were  aware 
that  the  object  of  our  mission  had  been  to  protect  just  such 
as  they,  and  the  innocent  immigrants,  and  their  property, 
from  not  only  the  raids  of  the  red  men,  but  also  from  the 
more   wicked  and  baser  white  brigands. 

We  rested  at  Green  River  until  the  4th  of  June,  when 
my  fellow  missionaries  left  for  Fort  Supply.  I  remained 
as  interpreter,  and  to  rill  our  appointment  with  Chief 
Washakie,  who  was  to  be  at  the  ferry  by  Jul)7  15. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  333 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

ENGAGED  AS  INTERPRETER— CLASS  OF  PEOPLE  AT  GREEN  RIVER-AP- 
POINTED DEPUTY  SHERIFF— DROVER  THREATENS  TO  KILL  BOAT- 
MEN—ARREST ORDERED— RIDE  INTO  THE  OUTLAWS"  (AMP- 
BLUFFING  THE  CAPTAIN— A  PERILOUS  SITUATION— PARLEY  WITH 
DROVES — I  OMPROMISE  EFFECTED— DEALING  WITH  LAW-BREAK- 
ERS—"BILL"  HICKMAN  AS  8HJ  SB  I  IF-  SWIMMING  CATTLE  OVER 
GREEN  RIVER— A  DROVER'S  FAILURE— WRITER  EMPLOYED  TO 
GET  I  ATTLE  OVER— HOW  IT  IS  DONE -SECRET  OF  SUCCESS- 
ARRIVAL  OF  WA>iIAKIi:-THI.  FERRYMAN  OFFENDS  HIM— THE 
ANGRY  INDIAN  SWEARS  VENGEANCE  ON  THE  WHITE  MAN— HIS 
PARTING  THREAT— IX  PERIL  OF  AN  INDIAN  MASSACRE. 

AS  I  had  become  a  fairly  good  interpreter,  the  ferry 
company  proposed  to  pay  my  board  at  Green  River 
while  I  stayed,  as  there  was  no  one  else  there  who  could 
converse  with  the  Indians.  The  country  was  new  and  wild, 
and  while  there  were  some  very  good  people,  the  road  was 
lined  with  California  immigrants  and  drovers,  many  of  them 
of  a  very  rough  class,  to  say  the  best  of  them.  They  would 
camp  a  day  or  two  on  the  river,  and  drink,  gamble  and 
right;  then  the  traders  and  rough  mountain  men,  half-caste 
Indians,  French  and  Spaniards,  were  numerous;  there  were 
also  blacksmith  and  repair  shops,  whisky  saloons,  gambling 
tables,  and  sometimes  there  would  be  a  perfect  jam  of 
wagons  and  cattle,  and  two  or  three  hundred  men.  There 
were  quarrels  and  rights,  and  often  men  would  be  shot  or 
stabbed.  As  the  court  had  been  organized  only  about  two 
months,  it  was  almost  impossible  for  the  sheriff  or  any 
other  officer  to  serve  a  writ  or  order  of  court,  unless  he 
had  a  posse  to  back  him.  Sometimes  the  ferryman  at  the 
Upper  Ferry  would  be  run  off  his  post,  and  a  company  of 
mountain   men  would  run  the   ferry  and  take  the   money, 


334  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

and  it  would  require  every  man  that  was  on  the  side  of 
law  and  order  to  back  the  officer.  In  this  situation  I, 
though  a  missionary,  was  summoned  to  take  charge  of  a 
posse  of  men  to  assist  the  sheriff  in  making  arrests. 

One  time  there  came  a  man  with  four  thousand  head 
of  cattle.  He  crossed  the  river,  passed  down  about  four 
miles  and  camped  under  a  steep  sand  bluff.  He  had  missed 
a  calf,  and  sent  a  man  back  for  it.  A  small  party  of  Indians, 
passing  along  that  way,  had  picked  up  the  animal  and  car- 
ried it  off,  supposing  that  the  drovers  had  abandoned  it. 
The  man  who  had  been  sent  for  the  calf,  not  finding  it,  rode 
up  to  the  ferry  and  demanded  the  animal  of  the  boatmen. 
These  told  him  they  did  not  have  his  calf,  whereupon  he 
swore  at  them,  called  them  liars  and  thieves,  and  threatened 
to  kill  them,  at  the  same  time  leveling  his  double-barreled 
shotgun  at  them. 

Judge  Appleby  happened  to  be  standing  within  a  few 
feet  of  the  boatmen,  and  heard  the  whole  conversation. 
He  ordered  the  sheriff  to  take  the  man,  dead  or  alive.  The 
sheriff  summoned  me  to  his  aid,  and  we  started  at  once  for 
the  culprit.  When  we  got  to  within  four  rods  of  him  he 
called  out,  "Do  you  want  anything  of  me,  gentlemen?" 
The  sheriff  said,  "Yes;  I  am  the  sheriff,  and  you  are  my 
prisoner."  The  man  being  on  horseback,  defied  the  sheriff 
and  fled.  We  fired  two  shots  in  the  air,  thinking  he  would 
surrender,  but  he  did  not,  and  the  sheriff  pressed  into  ser- 
vice the  horses  of  two  immigrants  near  by,  and  he  and  I 
pursued  the  fugitive,  following  him  about  four  miles,  where 
we  suddenly  came  upon  his  camp  of  twenty-four  men. 
armed  with  double-barrelled  shotguns. 

The  man  having  had  considerably  the  start  of  us,  had 
time  to  get  the  camp  rallied  and  ready  for  action,  telling 
them  that  two  men  had  shot  at  and  were  then  in  hot  pur- 
suit of  him.  We  were  not  aware  of  his  camp  being  there 
until   we   reached   the   brow   of    the   bluff;    then   our  only 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  335 

chance  was  to  ride  boldly  down  into  the  camp,  which  we 
did,  the  sheriff  shouting,  "Hold  on.  gentlemen!  lam  the 
sheriff  of  this  county."  The  captain  of  the  camp,  being 
a  cool-headed  and  fearless  man,  said  to  his  men,  "Hold  on, 
boys,  wait  for  the  word." 

The  moment  we  got  into  camp  we  dismounted,  and  I 
presume  that  at  least  a  dozen  guns  were  leveled  at  us,  their 
holders  being  greatly  excited,  and  swearing  death  to  us  if 
we  dared  to  lay  a  finger  on  the  fugitive,  or  on  any  other 
person  in  the  camp.  The  captain,  however,  said,  "Hold 
on,  boys!  Let's  hear  what  these  men  have  to  say."  Then 
the  sheriff  said  the  man  (pointing  to  the  culprit)  had  com- 
mitted an  offense  against  the  law,  in  threatening  the  lives 
of  the  boatmen,  and  leveling  his  gun  as  if  to  carry  out  the 
threat,  and  the  sheriff  had  been  ordered  by  the  judge  to 
arrest  him,  but  he  had  defied  the  officer  and  fled.  "But," 
said  the  captain,  "you  shot  at  him."  To  this  the  sheriff  re- 
plied, "We  called  on  him  to  halt,  and  as  he  refused  to  obey, 
a  couple  of  shots  were  fired  over  his  head  to  make  him 
stop,  but  he  did  not  do  so,  and  we  followed  him  to  your 
camp.     I  now  demand  him  of  you  as  his  captain." 

At  this  the  captain  declared  that  the  sheriff  had  shot 
at  his  man  and  had  scared  him  almost  to  death.  He  pointed 
to  the  man,  who  was  shaking  as  if  he  had  a  treble  shock 
of  the  ague,  and  continued  that  before  the  sheriff  should 
take  him  every  drop  of  blood  in  the  camp  should  be  shed. 
The  men  brawled  out,  "Hear!  Hear!"  when  the  sheriff 
said,  "All  right,  Captain.  You  may  get  away  with  us  two, 
but  we  have  between  seventy-five  and  one  hundred  men 
just  over  the  hills  here,  and  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours 
we  will  have  you  and  every  man  in  your  camp,  and  your 
stock  will  have  to  foot  the  bill." 

Thereupon  the  captain  made  response  that  he  would 
come  and  answer  for  his  man,  but  the  sheriff  could  not  take 
him.     Thus   the   matter  was   compromised  subject  to  the 


33^  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

court's  approval.  The  captain  promised  to  be  at  the 
judge's  within  two  hours,  and  was  there.  So  the  whole 
matter  was  settled  without  bloodshed. 

This  incident  is  only  an  illustration  of  what  had  to  be 
met  every  few  days,  in  which  men  would  refuse  to  yield  to 
the  law  until  they  had  to  do  so  or  die,  and  many  were  the 
times  that  we  had  to  force  them  down  with  the  revolver, 
when,  if  we  had  not  had  "the  drop"  on  them  they  would 
not  have  yielded.  We  met  men  face  to  face,  with  deadly 
weapons,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  cunning  and  the 
cool  head  of  "Bill"  Hickman,  as  he  was  commonly  called, 
blood  would  have  been  shed  more  than  once  when  it  was 
avoided.  I  speak  of  "Bill"  Hickman  as  I  found  him  in 
the  short  time  I  was  with  him.  In  his  official  capacity  he 
was  cunning,  and  was  always  ready  to  support  the  law 
while  I  was  with  him  on  Green  River. 

One  day  about  10  o'clock  a.  m.,  a  herd  of  four  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle  came  up,  and  the  owners  ferried  their 
wagons  across  the  river.  Then  they  tried  to  swim  their 
cattle  over  but  could  not  do  so.  I  stood  by  and  watched 
their  futile  efforts  until  I  observed  the  reason  the  cattle 
would  not  go  across.  Then  I  attempted  to  tell  the  captain 
that  he  could  not  swim  his  stock  with  the  sun  shining  in 
their  faces.  The  captain  being  one  of  those  self-sufficient 
men  often  met  with,  rather  snubbed  me,  saying,  "I  have 
handled  cattle  before  today."  I  turned  away,  remarking 
that  he  never  would  get  his  cattle  across  in  that  manner, 
and  saying  that  I  could  put  every  head  over  at  the  first 
attempt. 

Some  one  repeated  to  the  "boss"  what  I  had  said,  and 
asked  him  why  he  did  not  get  that  mountaineer  to  help,  as 
he  understood  the  business  better  than  anyone  else  on  the 
river.  "Well,"  he  said,  "we  will  make  another  try,  and  if 
we  do  not  succeed,  we  will  see  what  he  can  do."  The  trial 
was  another  failure.     Then  he  came  to  me  and  said,  "Cap., 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  337 

what  will  you  charge  me  to  swim  those  cattle,  and  insure 
me  against  loss?"  I  answered,  "You  have  wearied  your 
cattle  and  fooled  them  so  much  that  it  will  be  more  trouble 
now  than'  at  first,  but  if  you  will  drive  your  stock  out  on 
that  'bottom'  and  call  your  men  away  from  them,  I  will 
swim  them  and  insure  every  hoof,  for  twenty-five  cents  a 
head."  Said  he,  "I  will  do  it,  for  it  will  cost  fifty  cents  a 
head  to  cross  them  in  the  boat.  So  you  will  take  charge 
of  them  on  the  -bottom?'" 

••Yes,"  said  I,  "so  you  do  not  let  them  scatter  too  much." 
The  river  was  booming,  but  I  knew  of  a  place  where  the 
bank  was  three  or  four  feet  higher  than  the  water,  and 
where  the  stream  ran  swiftly,  setting  across  to  where  the 
cattle  would  reach  a  gradual  slope.  I  then  went  to  a  camp 
of  Indians  near  by,  and  hired  four  of  them  to  assist  me. 
They  stripped  and  mounted  their  ponies  with  their  robes 
about  them.  One  went  between  the  cattle  and  the  river, 
so  as  to  lead,  and  the  others  circled  around  the  stock  and 
got  them  all  headed  toward  the  place  designated  for  them 
to  take  to  the  water.  Then  they  caused  the  cattle  to  in- 
crease their  speed  until  they  were  on  the  gallop,  when  the 
Indians  gave  a  few  yells  and  shook  their  robes,  the  man  in 
the  lead  leaped  his  horse  into  the  river,  and  every  hoof  took 
to  the  water,  and  were  across  safe  and  sound  within  thirty 
minutes  from  the  time  they  started.  The  captain  paid  with- 
out objecting,  and  would  have  me  go  over  and  take  supper 
with  him  and  his  family.  He  said,  '-Aside  from  having  my 
cattle  across  safe  and  sound,  I  have  the  worth  of  my  money 
in  valuable  experience."  Next  day  he  was  back  over  the 
river,  and  would  tell  of  the  incident  and  say  to  the  drovers 

he  met  with,  "There  is  that  mountaineer.     I  am  if  he 

can't  beat  any  man  swimming  cattle  that  I  ever  saw."  And 
others  would  tell  the  drovers  the  same  story. 

Now,  my  friendly  reader,  I  will  tell   you  the   secret  of 
swimming  horses  and  cattle  across  a  river.     It  is:     Find  a 


338  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

place  (which  you  always  can  do)  somewhere  in  the  bends 
of  the  watercourse,  where  you  can  swim  your  stock  from 
the  sun,  and  where  they  take  to  the  water  the  deeper  the 
better,  even  if  you  have  to  make  them  jump  from  the 
banks.  The  swifter  the  current  the  better;  then  they  are 
not  so  likely  10  injure  one  another  in  jumping.  Again,  see 
that  the  outcoming  place  is  on  a  grade,  and  the  water  is 
shallow.  Then  have  some  good  swimmer,  on  horseback, 
take  the  lead;  push  your  stock  to  a  lively  gait,  and  success 
is  assured.  I  had  charge  of  swimming  ten  thousand  head 
of  cattle  across  Green  River,  in  the  months  of  June  and 
July,  1854,  and  never  lost  a  hoof,  yet  forced  hundreds  of 
them  over  banks  eight  to  ten  feet  high,  into  the  water. ^In- 
such  case,  the  water  must  be  deep,  or  we  might  have  sus- 
tained damage.  I  have  found,  as  a  rule,  that  nearly  all  men 
who  have  much  money  or  property  think  that  they  know 
it  all,  and  are  hard  to  convince.  But  some  of  the  drovers 
learned  by  object  lessons,  and  almost  all  of  them  thought 
they  could  swim  their  own  cattle;  and  so  they  could  have 
done,  if  they  had  known  the  correct  plan,  or  had  made  the 
effort  after  sundown  or  before  sunrise. 

About  the  time  set  for  his  arrival,  Washakie,  the  great 
Shoshone  chieftain,  came  in  with  seven  of  his  braves,  and 
quietly  walked  around.  First,  he  inspected  the  boat  and 
its  fixtures,  or  tackle;  then  he  went  to  the  brewery, 
the  bakery,  store,  court  room,  whisky  saloon,  blacksmith 
shops,  card  tables,  saw  much  money  changing  hands,  and 
observed  that  money  would  purchase  about  anything  the 
white  man  had. 

When  the  chief  had  had  a  friendly  visit  all  around,  he 
went  to  the  office  of  Captain  Hawley,  the  ferryman.  There 
he  saw  the  captain  taking  and  handling  considerable  money, 
among  the  precious  metal  being  two  or  three  fifty-dollar 
gold  slugs.  He  asked  for  one  of  these,  but  the  captain 
laughed  at  him,  and  offered  him  a  silver  dollar. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  339 

This  action  offended  Washakie,  who  walked  away, 
and  by  some  means  got  hold  of  some  intoxicants.  Then 
he  began  to  think  what  was  going  on  in  the  land  of  his 
forefathers,  and  came  to  me  and  said:  "This  is  my  country, 
and  my  people's  country.  My  fathers  lived  here,  and  drank 
water  from  this  river,  while  our  ponies  grazed  on  these 
bottoms.  Our  mothers  gathered  the  dry  wood  from  this 
land.  The  buffalo  and  elk  came  here  to  drink  water  and 
eat  grass;  but  now  they  have  been  killed  or  driven  back 
out  of  our  land.  The  grass  is  all  eaten  off  by  the  white 
man's  horses  and  cattle,  and  the  dry  wood  has  been  burned; 
and  sometimes,  when  our  young  men  have  been  hunting, 
and  got  tired  and  hungry,  they  have  come  to  the  white 
man's  camp,  and  have  been    ordered  to  get  out,  and  they 

are  slapped,  or  kicked,  and  called  'd d   Injuns.'     Then 

our  young  men  get  heap  mad,  and  say  that  when  they  have 
the  advantage  of  the  white  man,  as  they  have  often,  they 
will  take  revenge  upon  him.  Sometimes  they  have  been 
so  abused  that  they  have  threatened  to  kiil  all  the  white 
men  they  meet  in  our  land.  But  I  have  always  been  a 
friend  to  the  white  man,  and  have  told  my  people  never  to 
moisten  our  land  with  his  blood;  and  to  this  day  the  white 
man  can  not  show  in  all  our  country  where  the  Shoshone 
has  killed  one  of  his  people,  though  we  can  point  to  many 
abuses  we  have  patiently  suffered  from  him.  Now  I  can 
see  that  he  only  loves  himself;  he  loves  his  own  flesh,  and 
he  does  not  think  of  us;  he  loves  heap  money;  he  has  a 
big  bag  full  of  it;  he  got  it  on  my  land,  and  would  not  give 
me  a  little  piece.  I  am  mad,  and  you  heap  my  good  friend, 
and  I  will  tell  you  what  I  am  going  to  do.  Every  white 
man,  woman  or  child,  that  I  find  on  this  side  of  that  water," 
pointing  to  the  river,  "at  sunrise  tomorrow  I  will  wipe  them 
out"  (rubbing  his  hands  together).  He  went  on:  "You 
heap  my  friend;  you  stay  here  all  right;  you  tell  them  to 
leave  my  land.     If  they  are  on  the  other  side  of  my  water, 


340 


LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


all  right,  me  no  kill  them,  they  go  home  to  their  own 
country,  no  come  back  to  my  land.  Tomorrow  morning 
when  the  sun  come  up,  you  see  me.  My  warriors  come, 
heap  damn  mad,  and  wipe  them  all  out,  no  one  leave." 

"Good-by,  you  tell  him,  chief,  he  mad!"  was  Wash- 
akie's parting  exclamation,  as  he  mounted  his  horse  and 
rode  away  to  his  camp  on  the  Big  Sandy,  some  fifteen 
miles  back  from  the  Green   River. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

CONSTERNATION  AT  WASHAKIE'S  DECLARATION— PEOPLE  III  KM:  Y 
ACROSS  THE  RIVER— THE  WRITER  IS  ASKED  TO  ATTEMPT  A  RE- 
CONCILIATION—NIGHT TOO  DARK  TO  TRAVEL— CHIEF  WASHAKIE 
AND  BRAVE8  APPEAR  AT  SUNRISE— THE  CHIEF  NOTES  THAT  THE 
PEOPLE  ARE  TERROR-STRICKEN,  AND  DECIDES  THAT  HE  WILL 
BE  THEIR  FRIEND— TROUBLOUS  EXPLOITS  OF  MOUNTAIN  MEN- 
SHERIFF'S  PLAN  OF  ARREST— HOW  THE  SCHEME  WORKED— DES- 
PERADOES FREED  BY  THE  COURT— CHASING  AN  OFFENDER--!  i: 
ROUNDED  BY  HIS  ASSOCIATES— COOL  NESS  \ND  PLUCK  OF  THE 
SHERIFF  WIN-READY  TO  RETURN  HOME— A  TRYING  EXPERIENCE. 

AS  might  have  been  expected,  I  lost  no  time  in  appris- 
ing the  people  of  the  Indian  threat,  and  the  white 
population  promptly  complied  with  the  order  to  move;  so 
that  by  daylight  there  was  little  of  value  on  that  side  of  the 
river.  There  was  great  consternation  among  the  people, 
and  Captain  Hawley  was  quite  willing  to  send  a  fifty-dollar 
slug  to  the  chief;  but  it  was  late  in  the  evening,  and  no  one 
to  go  but  myself.  There  was  no  telling  how  much  liquor 
there  might  be  in  the  Indian  camp,  so  it  was  not  a  pleasant 
job  for  either  friend  or  foe  to  approach  the  savages  on  such 
a  dark  night  as  that  was.  Although  I  had  Washakie's 
promise  of  friendship,  I  knew  that  when  the  Indians  were 
drunk  they  were  not  good  company,  and  I  did  not  care  to 
expose  myself  to  unnecessary  danger. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  34 1 

Individually  I  had  nothing  at  stake,  but  there  were 
others  who  had  their  families  and  thousands  of  dollars' 
worth  of  property  at  the  mercy  of  the  enraged  red  men.  In 
this  crisis,  when  I  was  asked  if  I  would  take  the  risk,  and 
what  amount  I  would  give  my  service  for,  I  said  I  would 
undertake  to  go  that  night  and  attempt  a  reconciliation, and 
charge  fifty  dollars,  if  they  would  provide  me  with  a  good 
horse.  That  they  agreed  to  do.  The  night  was  so  dark, 
however,  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  hold  of  a  horse,  so 
we  had  to  move  all  of  value  that  could  be  taken  across  the 
river.  We  also  made  every  preparation  for  defense  that 
was  possible  during  the  night. 

Next  morning,  true  to  his  promise.  Chief  Washakie, 
with  fifteen  well  armed  men,  came  up,  just  at  sunrise.  I 
went  out  to  meet  him,  and  found  him  perfectly  sober  and 
friendly,  as  also  his  men.  The  chief  rode  up  and  glanced 
at  the  desolate  appearance  of  everything,  and  saw  that  the 
women  and  children  were  greatly  frightened.  His  com- 
panions sat  on  their  horses  and  looked  across  the  river. 
Finally  the  noble  chief  said,  referring  to  those  who  had  left 
their  homes.  "Tell  them  to  come  back.  We  will  not  hurt 
them.     We  will  be  good  friends." 

Thus  ended  the  big  scare,  and  the  people  returned. 
But  there  was  another  stir  to  come;  for  in  a  few  days  the  fer- 
ryman from  the  Upper  Ferry,  ten  miles  above  the  Middle 
Ferry,  told  Judge  Appleby  that  a  party  of  rough  mountain- 
eers had  driven  him  off,  threatening  his  life  if  he  did  not 
leave  immediately.  They  had  taken  charge  of  the  ferry, 
and  were  running  it  and  pocketing  the  money.  There 
were  twenty-eight  of  them,  determined  "cut-throats,"  a  part 
of  the  desperado  band  I  have  referred  to  before.  The  judge 
ordered  the  sheriff  to  summon  every  available  man,  and  go 
at  once  and  ascertain  who  the  leaders  were,  then  arrest 
them  and  bring  them  before  the  court.  There  were  only 
fourteen  men  obtainable  for  the  posse,  and  this  number  in- 


342  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

eluded  the  ferryman.  The  sheriff  delegated  me  to  take 
charge  of  the  posse  and  go  up  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
ahead  of  him  and  the  ferryman,  who  would  come  up  on  the 
west  side  some  time  after,  so  as  not  to  create  any  unneces- 
sary suspicion.  He  instructed  us  to  be  sociable  with  the 
outlaws,  treat  and  be  treated,  and  join  in  any  game  that 
might  be  engaged  in.  Said  he,  "We  will  get  them  drunk 
and  divided  among  themselves,  and  then  I  think  we  can 
manage  them." 

The  plan  was  laid,  and  every  man  being  well  armed, 
we  set  out  on  our  hazardous  mission.  We  had  with  us  one 
man  who  could  drink  an  enormous  amount  of  whisky  and 
yet  not  get  drunk,  for  he  would  turn  around  and  put  his 
ringer  down  his  throat  and  vomit  up  the  liquor  before  it 
would  affect  him  much.  He  said,  "Boys,  I  can  make  a 
dozen  of  them  drunk,  and  keep  straight  myself."  He  was 
asked  how  he  would  go  about  it,  and  replied,  "Well,  I  will 
offer  to  drink  more  whisky  than  any  man  on  the  river,  and 
we  will  drink  by  measure;  then  I  will  slip  out  and  throw  it 
up.  To  hide  the  trick  you  must  push  me  out  of  doors 
roughly,  as  if  mad.  At  other  times  jam  me  up  in  a  corner, 
so  I  can  throw  up.  Thus  I  will  have  half  of  them  so  drunk 
that  anyone  of  you  can  handle  half  a  dozen  of  them  at  once." 
His  statement  of  his  ability  to  drink  and  empty  his  stomach 
of  it  being  corroborated,  he  was  assigned  that  part  of  the 
strategy.  Then  another  man,  who  had  been  a  soldier  in 
the  Mexican  war,  said,  "Well,  if  you  will  get  them  drunk, 
I  will  win  the  money  from  their  own  party  to  buy  the 
whisky,  for  I  know  just  how  to  do  it."  He  wras  given 
that  part,  for  whisky  was  fifty  cents  a  drink. 

When  we  had  perfected  arrangements  as  far  as  possible, 
we  rode  up,  dismounting  as  if  we  had  just  happened  to  call 
and  knew  nothing  of  the  trouble.  Each  man  took  his  part,  and 
played  it  well.  To  our  surprise,  we  found  their  leader.  L. 
B.  Ryan,  apparently  in  a  drunken  stupor;  he  was  the  same 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  343 

person  I  had  met  in  the  Shoshone  Indian  camp,  five  or  six- 
weeks  before.  As  he  and  the  sheriff  had  been  on  good 
terms. they  drank  together  and  appeared  to  be  quite  friendly; 
but  the  ferryman  and  one  of  the  band  of  outlaws  got  into  a 
tight,  and  revolvers  and  bowie  knives  were  drawn.  Twenty- 
five  or  thirty  of  the  mountain  men.  with  deadly  weapons 
flourishing,  rushed  into  the  saloon  in  front  of  which  the 
fight  began.  One  man  slashed  the  other  with  a  knife,  and 
one  of  them  fired  two  shots,  but  some  bystander  knocked 
the  weapon  up,  so  it  did  no  harm.  The  prompt  action  of 
the  sheriff  and  his  supports,  together  with  the  aid  of  a  num- 
ber of  immigrants,  stopped  the  row.  If  it  had  not  been  for 
that,  a  dozen  men  might  have  been  slain  in  as  many  min- 
utes. Some  of  the  men  were  of  the  most  desperate  char- 
acter, and  swore  and  made  terrible  threats  of  what  they 
would  do. 

At  last  the  combatants  drank  together,  while  a  number 
of  others  got  so  intoxicated  they  could  scarcely  standalone. 
Then  the  sheriff  called  Ryan  to  one  side  and  quietly  ar- 
rested him,  placing  him  under  ten  thousand  dollars  bonds 
for  his  appearance  in  court  on  a  certain  date.  The  ferry- 
man and  some  of  the  more  moderate  of  the  outlaws  com- 
promised their  difficulties,  and  business  settled  down  to  a 
normal  condition.  We  went  back  to  the  Middle  Ferry, 
and  the  sheriff  made  his  returns  on  the  official  papers. 

x\t  the  time  appointed  for  Ryan  to  appear  in  court,  he 
was  there,  with  seven  young,  well-armed  warriors  and  a 
number  of  his  band,  who  sauntered  around  the  court  room. 
Ryan  was  so  desperate  and  so  well  supported  by  his  clique 
that  the  court  was  glad  to  let  him  down  and  out  as  easily 
as  possible;  for  it  was  evident  that  the  court  must  do  that 
or  die.  So  Ryan  and  his  gang  returned  to  their  haunts 
more  triumphant  than  otherwise. 

So  we  had  to  deal  with  desperate  men  every  day  or 
two,  and  it  was  seldom  indeed  that   we  could   effect  an  ar- 


344  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

rest  without  a  determined  show  of  arms.  Yet,  we  were 
not  compelled  to  use  them.  The  offenders  must  see  that 
we  had  them,  and  had  the  nerve  to  use  them,  before  they 
would  yield.  In  one  instance  I  was  ordered  by  the  sheriff 
to  take  a  man  who  had  broken  from  the  officer.  The  man 
was  running,  and  I  followed,  revolver  in  hand.  As  the 
fugitive  ran,  he  drew  his  weapon  and  wheeled  around.  I 
was  so  near  as  to  place  my  revolver  uncomfortably  'close  to 
his  face  before  he  could  raise  his  weapon.  He  saw  at  once 
that  I  had  the  "drop"  on  him,  as  we  used  to  say,  and  de- 
livered his  revolver  to  me.  The  next  moment  the  sheriff 
and  posse  had  their  backs  together  and  weapons  raised, 
while  twenty-four  armed  men  appeared  on  the  scene  and 
demanded  the  man.  But  when  they  looked  into  the  muz- 
zles of  fourteen  Colt's  revolvers  with  bright,  shining, 
waterproof  caps  exposed,  and  the  sheriff  called  out  in  a 
firm  and  decisive  voice,  "I  am  the  sheriff  of  Green  River 
County,  and  have  a  writ  for  this  man,"  they  paused,  though 
some  of  them  swore  the  officers  could  not  take  the  man 
from  camp,  and  advanced  in  a  threatening  manner.  Then 
the  sheriff  commanded,  "Halt!  The  first  man  that  ad- 
vances another  step,  or  raises  his  weapon,  is  a  dead  man. 
Stand!  I,  as  sheriff,  give  you  fair  warning."  At  that  some 
of  the  more  cautious  said,  "Hold  on,  boys!  We  must  not 
oppose  an  officer,"  and  all  concluded  they  must  give  up  the 
man  and  submit  to  the  law  for  that  time.  The  offense  of 
the  accused  was  shooting  the  ferryman's  dog,  while  the 
latter  was  eating  something  under  the  table,  and  while  the 
ferryman's  wife  and  daughter  were  standing  at  the  table 
washing  dishes;  and  when  the  ferryman  remonstrated  at 
such  conduct,  threatening  to  shoot  him.  Ultimately  the 
matter  was  compromised,  the  culprit  and  his  friends  paying 
the  costs. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  I  began    preparations  to  return   to 
Fort    Supply,   as    my    real    missionary    labors    seemed     to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  34 $ 

have  come  to  an  end  in  that  part,  and  I  was  glad  of  it. 
From  May  13  to  July  8,  1854,  had  been  one  of  the  most 
hazardous,  soul-trying,  disagreeable  experiences  of  my 
life,  for  the  short  period  it  occupied.  I  have  written  a  very 
brief  synopsis  of  it  in  the  foregoing  account;  for  it  might 
seem  impossible  to  the  person  of  ordinary  experience  for 
so  many  thrilling  incidents  as  I  had  witnessed  to  happen 
in  so  short  a  time. 


CHAPTER    XLV. 

GO  TO  POET  SUPPLY—  START  BACK  TO  GREEN  RIVER  AND  MEET  O.  P. 
ROCKWELL  AT  FORT  BRIDGER— HE  BRINGS  ME  A  TRADER'S 
LICENSE,  ALSO  GOODS  T<  I  TRADE  TO  THE  INDIANS— BEING  LATE 
IN  THE  SEASON,  WE  STORE  THE  GOODS,  AND  GO  TO  SALT  LAKE 
CITY— RECEIVE  THE  APPROVAL  OF  GOVERNOB  YOUNG— MOVE 
TO  OGDEN— ACCOMPANY  GOVERNOB  Vol  NG  AS  INTERPRETER— 
MY  HORSE  STOLEN— CALLED  <  »N  A  MISSION  TO  THE  SHOSHONES— 
ON  GOING  TO  SALT  LAKE  CITY,]  AM  RELEASED— ORDERED  TO 
TAKE  PART  IN  DISARMING  INDIANS  AT  OGDEN— A  DIFFICULT  JOB 
—CHASE  TO  MOUND  FORT— HAND-TO-HAND  STRUGGLE  WITH  A 
POWERFUL  SAVAGE— INDIANS  DISARMED,  BUT  s ELLEN— CHIEF'S 
BROTHER  OFFEB8  ALL  ill-  POSSESSIONS  FOB  HIS  GUN— PRECAU- 
TIONS TAKEN  TO  FEED  THE  INDIAN-  THAT  WINTER— TEACH  THE 
INDIAN  LANGUAGE  IN  SCHOOL— PROSPEB  IN  BUSINESS. 

ON  July  9,  I  started  for  Fort  Supply,  arriving  there 
on  the  nth.  where  I  found  all  well.  On  the  14th  I 
began  a  journey  back  to  Green  River,  but  met  Porter 
Rockwell  at  Fort  Bridger.  He  had  a  license  from  Gov- 
ernor Brigham  Young  for  me  to  trade  with  the  Indians; 
also  some  two  or  three  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  Indian 
goods  for  me  to  market.  x\t  that  time  there  was  no  oppor- 
tunity to  trade,  as  the  Indians  had  disposed  of  their  robes, 
22 


34^  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

pelts  and  furs  for  the  season,  so  we  sent  the  goods  to  Fort 
Supply  and  had  them  stored  there. 

I  accompanied  Rockwell  to  Salt  Lake  City,  arriving 
there  on  July  19.  We  reported  conditions  to  the  governor, 
who  received  us  very  kindly,  and  approved  of  what  we  had 
done.  On  August  15  I  went  to  Ogden  City  and  on  the 
28th  accompanied  Governor  Young,  as  interpreter,  to  Chief 
Catalos'  camp  of  Shoshones,  four  miles  north  of  Ogden. 
This  large  camp  of  Indians  had  some  grievances  to  settle, 
and  particularly  desired  to  ask  favors  and  get  a  better  un- 
derstanding vvith  the  white  men  through  their  big  chief. 
The  Indians  claimed  that  they  were  friendly  to  the  whites, 
and  wanted  the  latter  to  be  friendly  to  them;  they  also 
wished  to  have  trade  brought  to  them.  The  governor  gave 
them  a  liberal  present  of  assorted  Indian  goods,  talked 
friendship,  and  told  them  he  would  leave  other  goods  with 
me  to  trade.  He  also  advised  them  to  be  good  people,  and 
to  live  at  peace  with  all  men,  for  we  had  the  same  great 
Father.  Governor  Young  told  them  it  would  be  good  for 
them  to  settle  down  like  the  white  man,  and  learn  of  him 
how  to  cultivate  the  land  as  he  did,  so  that  when  the  game 
was  all  gone  they  could  live  and  have  something  to  eat  and 
to  feed  their  families  on.  The  Indians  said  this  was  "heap 
good  talk,"  and  their  hearts  felt  good;  so  we  parted  with 
them  in  the  best  of  feelings,  notwithstanding  that  some  of 
their  bad  Indians  had  stolen  my  only  horse  from  where  I 
had  picketed  him  on  the  bottoms.  I  did  not  learn  the  facts 
in  the  case  in  time  to  get  redress,  and  all  the  consolation  I 
could  obtain  was  that  the  thief  did  not  know  it  was  my 
animal — "heap  no  good  Indian  steal  your  horse." 

I  returned  to  Ogden  City,  and  there  continued  to  trade 
with  the  Indians  as  they  came,  until  October  10,  on  which 
date  I  received  a  letter  from  Elder  Orson  Hyde,  stating 
that  Governor  Young  wished  me  to  go  on  a  mission  among 
the  Shoshones  that  winter.     I  answered  the  call,  but    when 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  347 

1  got  to  Salt  Lake  City,  on  the  way,  it  had  been  learned 
that  the  Indians  had  gone  out  so  far  into  the  buffalo  country 
that  it  was  not  advisable  for  me  to  follow  them;  so  I  re- 
turned to  Ogden  and  continued  to  visit  and  trade  with  the 
Indians,  and  got  up  my  winter's  wood. 

On  November  20  Wm.  Hickman,  L.  B.  Ryan  and  D. 
Huntington  came  up  from  Salt  Lake  City  with  an  order  to 
Major  Moore  and  the  citizens  of  Weber  Count}'  to  disarm 
Chief  Little  Soldier  and  his  band  of  Indians,  and  distribute 
them  among  the  families  in  Weber  County  where  the  peo- 
ple were  best  able  to  feed  and  clothe  them  for  the  winter, 
and  set  them  to  work;  for  they  had  become  very  trouble- 
some to  the  citizens  of  that  county,  by  killing  cattle,  burn- 
ing fences,  and  intimidating  isolated  families.  On  the  30th 
the  major  called  on  me  to  go  with  his  party  to  the  Indian 
camp  at  West  Weber.  I  did  so,  and  with  considerable 
talking  we  got  the  Indians  to  accompany  us  to  Ogden  City. 
Still,  they  felt  very  warlike  and  stubborn,  being  unwilling 
to  give  up  their  arms. 

In  the  midst  of  the  parley,  the  three  men  from  Salt 
Lake  City  returned  to  that  place,  and  the  Indians  were 
allowed  to  go  with  their  arms  across  the  Ogden  River  and 
camp  among  the  willows  near  Mound  Fort.  On  December 
1st  we  went  after  them,  finding  them  so  hostile  that  we  had 
to  make  a  showr  of  arms  before  they  would  submit  to  our 
proposition  of  distributing  them  among  the  whites,  but 
when  we  brought  a  squad  of  armed  men  they  very  reluc- 
tantly and  sullenly  complied,  so  we  marched  them  back  to 
Ogden  City,  to  a  location  on  Main  Street,  near  where  the 
old  tithing  office  stood.  Almost  every  man  that  had  side 
arms  was  called  to  mingle  among  the  Indians,  so  that  each 
man  could  command  a  wrarrior  by  disarming  him  by  force 
if  he  refused  to  surrender  his  arms  at  the  command  of  the 
major,  which  command  I  was  required  to  repeat  in  the  In- 
dian dialect.     At  the   word,  each   man  was  to   take  hold  of 


348  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

an  Indian's  gun,  and  I  was  to  tell  the  aborigines  to  surren- 
der; but  there  was  not  a  man  who  obeyed  the  order,  for 
what  reason  I  do  not  know.  I  then  went  through  the 
crowd  of  Indians  and  took  every  weapon  with  my  own 
hands.  The  white  men  took  them  from  me,  and  they  were 
stored  in  the  tithing  office,  a  guard  being  placed  over 
them. 

Just  then  a  young  Indian  was  observed  on  horseback, 
going  northward  as  fast  as  his  horse  could  carry  him. 
Some  one  said,  ''There  goes  that  Indian  boy  to  warn  a 
camp  over  by  Bingham  Fort!"  Major  Moore  had  one  of 
the  fastest  animals  in  the  county;  he  ordered  me  to  "take 
her  and  beat  the  boy  into  camp,  or  run  her  to  death.  Don't 
spare  horseflesh.  Call  out  the  citizens  and  disarm  every 
Indian  you  lind." 

I  obeyed  the  order,  and  found  a  small  party  of  Indians 
camped  in  the  center  of  what  was  called  Bingham  Fort. 
Just  as  the  Indian  boy  reached  the  camp,  I  entered  the  east 
gate  of  the  square,  and  rode  to  the  west  gate,  shouting  to 
the  people,  "To  arms!  To  arms!  Turn  out,  every  man,  and 
help  to  disarm  the  Indians!''  Men  turned  out  quickly  and 
surrounded  the  camp.  I  succeeded  in  reaching  the  west 
gate  just  in  time  to  wheel  and  grab  a  big  Ute's  gun  as  he 
was  trying  to  pass  me.  He  held  to  it  firmly,  and  both 
struggled  with  a  death-like  grip.  We  looked  each  other 
squarely  in  the  eyes,  with  a  determined  expression.  At 
last  his  eyes  dropped,  and  his  gun  was  in  my  possession. 
He  was  full  of  wrath  and  a  desire  for  vengeance.  I  found 
him  to  be  one  of  the  strongest  men  I  had  ever  grappled 
with  anywhere. 

I  next  turned  to  the  camp  and  disarmed  all  the  Indians 
in  it,  placed  their  wreapons  under  guard  ar\d  sent  them  to 
Ogden,  then  vainly  tried  to  talk  the  red  men  into  reconcili- 
ation. I  next  returned  to  Ogden,  and  there  found  the 
whites  and  Indians  on  the  streets,  the  latter  as  discontented 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  349 

as  ever.  The  major  and  I  tried  to  [pacify  them,  but  they 
were  very  stubborn  and  sullen.  At  last  the  chief's  brother 
said,  ''Here  are  my  wife,  my  children,  my  horses  and 
everything  that  1  have.  Take  it  all  and  keep  it,  only  give 
me  back  my  gun  and  let  me  go  free.  1  will  cast  all  the 
rest  away.  There  is  my  child,"  pointing  to  a  little  three- 
year-old,  "take  it."  The  little  innocent  held  up  its  hands 
and  cried  for  the  father  to  take  it,  but  he  frowned  and 
looked  at  it  as  with  a  feeling  of  disgust,  saying,  "Go  away. 
You  are  not  mine,  for  I  have  thrown  vou  away,  and  will 
not  have  you  any  more." 

This  spirit  was  but  a  reflex  of  that  which  animated  the 
whole  band;  "for."  said  they,  "we  are  only  squaws  now. 
We  cannot  hunt  or  defend  our  families.  We  are  not  any- 
body now."  But  finally,  though  very  sullenly,  they  went 
home  with  the  whites  and  pitched  their  tents  in  the  back 
yards.  To  us  it  did  seem  hard  to  have  them  feel  so  bad, 
but  they  had  no  means  of  support  for  the  winter,  the  cit- 
izens could  not  afford  to  have  their  stock  killed  off  and 
their  fences  burned,  and  it  was  the  better  policy  to  feed  the 
Indians  and  have  them  under  control.  They  could  husk 
corn,  chop  wood,  help  do  chores,  and  be  more  comfortable 
than  if  left  to  roam;  but  for  all  that,  they  were  deprived  of 
that  broad  liberty  to  which  they  and  their  fathers  before 
them  had  been  accustomed,  therefore  they  felt  it  most 
keenly.  As  I  was  the  only  white  man  who  could  talk 
much  with  them,  I  was  kept  pretty  busy  laboring  with 
them. 

In  the  evening  of  December  3rd  the  Indians  had  a  letter 
from  Governor  Young.  I  read  and  interpreted  it  to  them. 
Then  for  the  first  time  they  seemed  reconciled  to  their  sit- 
uation. Their  chief  was  filled  with  the  spirit  of  approval 
of  the  course  that  had  been  taken  with  tnem,  and  he 
preached  it  long   and   strong.     After   that,  the  Indians  and 


350  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

i 

the  citizens  got  along  very  well  together,  and  I  continued 
teaching  and  preaching  to  the  former. 

December  5th  I  took  up  school  and  taught  the  Indian 
language,  or  rather  the  Shoshone  dialect.  I  had  about 
thirty  male  adults  attending.  Brother  George  W.  Hill,  who 
afterwards  became  the  noted  Shoshone  interpreter  in  Weber 
County,  was  one  of  them. 

I  was  very  much  prospered  that  winter,  purchased  a 
city  lot  and  quarter  of  another  on  Main  Street,  fenced 
the  lot,  closed  my  trading  with  the  Indians,  and  settled  with 
D.  H.  Wells  for  the  goods  I  had  had. 


CHAPTER   XLVI. 

ANOTHER  MISSION  TO  THE  INDIANS— START  FOR  THE  SHOSHONE 
CAMP  —  DIFFICULTIES  OF  TRAVEL  —  NEAR  THE  CROWS  AND 
BLACKFEET-A  DREAM  GIVES  WARNING  OF  DANGER— DISCOVER 
A  LARGE  BODY  OF  INDIANS— NO  OPPORTUNITY  OF  ESCAPE- 
RIDE  LNTO  THE  CAMP  OF  A  HUNTING  AND  WAR  PARTY -MEET 
CHIEF  WASHAKIE— A  DAY'S  MARCH— SITUATION  CRITICAL— HOLD 
A  COUNCIL-PRESENT  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON— ALL  BUT  WASH- 
AKIE SPEAK  AGAINST  US  AND  THE  BOOK  —  AWAITING  THE 
CHIEF'S  DECISION. 

A  T  a  general  conference  held  in  Salt  Lake  City,  April 
J~\^  6,  1855,  I  was  again  called  to  go  east  among  the 
Indians,  to  labor  with  and  for  them.^  I  was  appointed  by 
President  Brigham  Young  to  take  the  presidency  of  the 
mission  among  the  Shoshones.  At  this  call  I  hastened  to 
provide  as  comfortably  as  possible  for  my  family,  and  to  fit 
myself  for  the  mission  assigned  me. 

I  set  out  on  May  8,  1855,  in  company  with  four  other 
Elders,  going  east  via  Salt  Lake  City.  I  drove  one  of  the 
two  teams,  to  pay  for  the  hauling  of  my  baggage,  as  I  had 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  351 

no  team  of  my  own.  On  the  ioth  we  reached  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  left  the  same  day.  On  the  nth  we  overtook 
another  wagon  and  two  of  our  fellow-missionaries.  We 
arrived  at  Fort  Supply  on  the  17th,  having  had  a  pleasant 
trip.  We  found  seven  Elders  planting  the  crop.  On  the 
18th  we  joined  them  in  the  work  of  plowing  and  seeding, 
and  repairing  the  stockade  and  fences.  On  the  29th,  eight 
of  us  fitted  up  a  four-horse  team  and  wagon  and  six  saddle 
horses  and  started  for  the  Shoshone  camps,  which  we  had 
heard  were  on  the  headwaters  of  either  the  Green  or  the 
Snake  River.  On  June  1st  we  came  to  a  tributary  of  the 
Green  River,  called  the  Fontenelle.  There  we  rested  one 
day,  then  moved  camp  up  to  the  mouth  of  the  canyon. 

On  the  3rd  of  June,  E.  B.  Ward,  Joshua  Terry  and  I 
crossed  over  the  divide  between  the  Green  and  Snake 
Rivers,  leaving  Elder  George  W.  Boyd  in  charge  of  camp. 
The  three  of  us  went  along  the  western  slope,  passing  one 
lodge  of  friendly  Indians.  On  the  5th  we  came  to  Siveadus' 
camp  of  twenty  lodges.  He  and  his  people  were  very  cool 
towards  us,  so  we  proceeded  to  a  stream  called  Piney,  and 
up  that  to  the  top  of  the  divide,  from  where  we  could  see 
to  the  head  waters  of  the  Wind  River.  Having  been  told 
that  Washakie  and  his  camp  were  somewhere  on  the  head- 
waters of  Horse  Creek,  we  made  for  that  point,  traveling 
over  snowdrifts  that  we  supposed  were  fifty  feet  deep.  The 
descent  was  very  steep,  and  in  some  places  rather  danger- 
ous. That  night  our  coffee  basins,  that  were  left  standing 
half  or  two-thirds  full  of  water,  had  become  frozen  solid; 
and  the  weather  seemed  seasonable  for  Christmas. 

We  suffered  much  with  cold  until  10  o'clock  a.  m.,  on 
the  7th  of  June.  We  turned  northeast,  and  came  onto 
Horse  Creek,  camping  just  below  its  mouth,  under  a  high, 
steep  bluff,  in  a  fine  grove  of  cottonwoods.  Everything 
seemed  deathly  still.  We  were  in  the  borders  of  the  Crow 
and  Blackfeet  Indians'  country,  with  jaded  horses,  so  that  if 


352  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

we  were  discovered  it  would  be  impossible  to  escape.  We 
began  to  feel  a  little  concern  for  our  scalps,  for  we  were 
aware  that  both  the  Crows  and  the  Blackfeet  were  hostile. 
We  gathered  our  wood,  taking  care  that  no  branch  or  any- 
thing connected  with  our  fire  would  make  much  blaze  or 
smoke,  lest  by  it  we  should  be  discovered.  Everything 
being  placed  in  the  best  possible  position  for  flight  or  fight, 
as  might  seem  best  if  emergency  should  arise,  we  rested 
there  that  night;  and  something  told  us  we  should  not  go 
farther  north,  but  that  south  should  be  our  course  in  the 
morning. 

Early  the  following  morning,  about  3  o'clock,  I  dreamed 
that  I  saw  a  large  band  of  Indians  come  down  and  pitch 
camp  on  the  creek  above  us.  I  was  so  forcibly  impressed 
that  I  awoke  the  other  two  men,  and  told  them  I  felt  con- 
fident that  the  dream  was  true,  and  that  we  would  prove  it 
at  daylight.  They  agreed  with  me,  so  I  told  them  to  make 
as  dark  a  fire  as  was  possible,  and  to  get  breakfast,  while  I 
would  go  on  the  high  bluff  that  overlooked  camp  and  the 
country  adjacent,  where  I  would  watch  everything  that 
moved,  and  if  there  were  friends  or  foes  in  the  country  we 
would  see  them  or  their  lights  before  they  should  see  ours. 
We  all  arose  at  once,  the  others  preparing  the  meal  and 
saddling  the  horses  ready  for  a  hasty  move,  while  I  went 
up  on  the  bluff  and  there  kept  a  sharp  lookout  until  the 
dawn.  At  the  first  streaks  of  daylight  I  saw  a  blue  smoke 
creeping  up  through  the  willows,  perhaps  a  mile  and  a  half 
above  me,  then  another  and  another,  until  it  was  plain  there 
was  a  camp  of  Indians  just  where  I  had  dreamed  they  were. 
Soon  the  tops  of  lodges  appeared,  then  a  band  of  ponies  was 
driven  up.     By  this  time  it  was  fairly  daylight. 

I  reported  to  the  others  what  I  had  seen,  and  we  took 
breakfast.  By  the  time  the  sun  cast  his  earliest  rays  over 
the  landscape,  we  were  in  the  saddle.  Then  came  the  ques- 
tion, what  shall  we  do?     To  flee  was  folly,  for   it  was  not 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  353 

likely  that  we  would  escape  the  ever  vigilant  eye  of  the  red 
man,  in  an  open  country  like  that  was.  We  decided  to  ride 
out  boldly  on  the  open  bench,  and  go  straight  to  their  camp. 
No  sooner  had  we  done  so  than  we  were  discovered,  and 
some  twenty  or  more  warriors  started  to  encircle  us,  but 
we  rode  direct  for  the  camp  without  showing  any  concern. 

Soon  we  were  completely  surrounded  by  a  score  of 
armed  warriors  in  full  costume  of  war  paint;  as  these  closed 
in  their  circle,  they  saluted  us  with  a  war-whoop.  Some 
had  i;green"  scalps  hanging  from  their  bridle  bits,  while 
others  had  them  suspended  from  their  surcingles.  As  the 
warriors  drew  nearer  to  us  it  became  evident  that  they  were 
of  the  Shoshone  tribe,  but  we  could  not  recognize  any  one 
of  them,  and  they  did  not  appear  to  recognize  us.  When 
we  spoke  to  them  and  offered  to  shake  hands,  they  shook 
their  heads  and  pointed  us  to  the  camp,  while  they  proudly 
escorted  us  there,  some  going  before  us  and  clearing  the 
way  up  to  the  lodge  of  Washakie,  their  chief,  who,  with 
some  of  his  leading  men,  stood  waiting  to  receive  us.  As 
we  rode  up,  Washakie  and  his  associates  stepped  forward, 
and  in  a  very  friendly  manner  shook  hands.  By  gestures 
they  said,  "We  are  moving  camp,  and  you  will  go  and  camp 
with  us  tonight.  Then  we  will  hear  what  you  have  to  say. 
We  fell  in  with  a  war  party  of  Crows  and  Blackfeet  yester- 
day, and  defeated  them,  and  now  we  are  fleeing  to  a  safe 
place  for  our  women  and  children,  lest  they  get  reinforce- 
ments and  come  upon  us  and  our  families;"  then  with  a 
motion,  the  chief  said,  "Forward,"  and  soon  the  whole  band 
was  on  the  move. 

We  estimated  that  the  Indians  numbered  about  three 
thousand  all  told,  and  there  was  a  pony  for  every  soul;  they 
were  well  supplied  with  rifles,  Colt's  revolvers,  bows,  ar- 
rows, shields  and  some  cutlasses,  and  large,  heavy  knives. 
They  were  excellently  mounted,  and  their  discipline  could 
not  well  be  improved   for   the   country   they  were  passing 


354  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

over  and  the  force  they  were  most  likely  to  fall  in  with. 
Their  flanking  party  was  so  arranged  as  to  act  as  a  front 
guard,  and  at  the  same  time  drive  all  the  game  into  a  circle 
and  thence  into  a  second  circle,  so  that  everything,  down  to 
the  smallest  chipmunk  and  squirrel,  was  bagged.  This  was 
over  a  strip  of  country  about  eight  miles  by  thirty;  and  the 
pack  of  sagehens  and  squirrels  that  was  brought  into  camp 
was  astonishing.  The  old  and  middle-aged  men  formed  the 
rear  guard,  while  the  whole  female  portion  of  the  camp 
drove  the  pack  animals.  The  chief  and  his  most  confiden- 
tial advisers  rode  just  in  front  of  these,  and  we  were  called 
to  be  a  part  of  the  escort. 

When  all  was  on  the  move,  the  camp  made  quite  a 
formidable  appearance.  It  looked  to  us  as  if  the  shrubbery 
on  our  way  had  changed  suddenly  into  a  moving  army, 
what  with  people  and  ponies  all  moving  up  hill  and  down, 
over  the  rolling  country,  to  the  south,  between  the  high 
Snake  and  Wind  River  ranges  of  the  great  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. We  thought  of  ancient  Israel,  of  the  Ten  Tribes  com- 
ing from  the  north  country,  and  of  the  promises  that  had 
been  made  to  the  Indians  by  the  prophets  of  their. fore- 
fathers. 

To  us  this  was  a  great  day  of  thought  and  meditation,  for 
at  times  it  seemed  to  us  that  we  could  see  the  opening  glories 
of  a  better  day,  and  could  almost  declare,  "Now  is  the  dawn 
of  the  day  of  Israel,"  for  we  had  a  letter  from  that  modern 
Moses,  President  Brigham  Young,  to  read  and  interpret  to 
the  red  men,  and  also  the  Book  of  Mormon  to  introduce  to 
them  that  very  evening,  for  the  first  time;  and  the  question 
uppermost  in  our  minds  was  as  to  whether  they  would  re- 
ceive it  or  not,  for  there  were  many  hard  looking  counte- 
nances in  the  throng,  and  we  could  see  plainly  from  their 
frowns  that  they  were  not  at  all  friendly  to  us. 

When  we  had  traveled  till  about  3  o'clock  p.  m.,  camp 
was  made  in  a  lovely  valley.     The  chief's   lodge   was  first 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  355 


pitched,  clean  robes  spread,  and  we  were  invited  to  take 
seats  thereon.  Our  horses,  packs  and  all,  were  taken  charge 
of  by  the  women  of  the  camp,  just  where  we  dismounted,, 
and  we  had  no  more  to  do  with  our  animals  until  we  had 
use  for  them  next  day. 

A  little  fire  having  been  built  in  the  center  of  the  lodge, 
the  councilors  began  to  file  into  their  places,  each  very 
quietly  shaking  hands  with  us,  some  of  them  very  coldly. 
When  all  was  quiet,  the  chief  said,  by  gesture,  "Now  tell 
us  what  you  have  to  say.  Tell  it  straight,  and  no  crooked 
talk,  for  we  do  not  want  any  lies,  but  the  truth."  It  seemed 
to  us  that  they  were  ready  for  square  work,  so,  with  as  few 
words  as  possible,  we  told  Washakie  we  had  a  letter  from 
the  big  Mormon  captain  to  him  and  his  people.  Then  he 
said,  "Tell  us  what  it  says,"  and  between  the  three  of  us 
we  could  tell  him  every  word. 

I  am  sorry  that  I  have  not  at  hand  the  full  text  of  the 
letter,  but  it  was  a  very  friendly  document,  and,  so  far  as  I 
can  now  remember,  told  them  that  President  Young  had 
sent  us  to  Washakie  and  his  people  as  their  friends,  that 
we  were  truthful  and  good  men,  who  would  tell  them  many 
good  things  about  howr  to  live  in  peace  with  all  people; 
that  President  Young  and  the  Mormon  people  were  true 
friends  to  the  Indian  race,  and  wished  them  to  be  our 
friends,  that  we  might  live  in  peace  writh  each  other,  for  it 
would  not  be  many  years  before  all  the  game  would  be 
killed  off  or  driven  out  of  the  country,  and  the  white  men 
would  want  to  come  and  settle  in  the  land;  that  if  the  In- 
dians would  settle  down  and  build  houses  like  the  white  man, 
and  cultivate  the  land  as  the  white  man  did,  when  the  game 
was  gone  they  and  their  families  would  have  something  to 
eat.  President  Young  proposed  to  furnish  seed  and  tools, 
and  some  good  men  to  show  and  help  the  Indians  to  put  in 
their  crops.  The  letter  further  said  that  after  a  while, 
wrhen  we  understood  each  other  better,  we  would  tell  them 


356  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

about  their  forefathers,  and  about  God;  that  we  had  a  book 
that  told  a  great  many  things  regarding  the  Great  Spirit's 
dealings  with  their  forefathers,  and  what  He  would  do  for 
them  and  their  children.  Then  we  presented  the  Book  of 
Mormon  to  Washakie,  while  his  lefthand  man  filled  the 
pipe  and  drew  a  rude  figure  of  the  sun,  in  the  ashes  of  the 
smouldering  fire;  he  also  muttered  a  few  unintelligible 
words,  smote  his  chest  with  his  hand,  took  a  whiff  or  two 
from  the  pipe,  passed  it  to  the  next  man  on  his  left,  and 
reached  for  the  book;  he  opened  it  and  said  it  was  no  good 
for  them — that  it  was  only  good  for  the  whiie  man. 

In  that  same  order  the  pipe  and  book  passed  around 
the  circle  twenty-one  times,  and  each  time  the  Indian  made 
a  new  figure  in  the  ashes,  each  representing  a  different 
planet.  During  the  whole  time  only  one  man  spoke  at 
once.  One  said,  "This  book  is  of  no  use  to  us.  If  the 
Mormon  captain  has  nothing  better  to  send  than  this,  we 
had  better  send  it.  his  letter,  and  these  men,  back  to  him, 
and  tell  him  that  they  are  no  good  to  us,  that  we  want 
powder,  lead  and  caps,  sugar,  coffee,  flour,  paints,  knives, 
and  blankets,  for  those  we  can  use.  Send  these  men  away 
to  their  own  land." 

Another  of  the  council,  when  it  came  to  his  turn,  said, 
"We  have  no  use  for  this  book.  If  the  paper  were  all  cut 
out  and  thrown  away,  we  could  sew  up  the  ends  and  put 
a  strap  on  it,  and  it  would  do  for  the  white  man's  money 
bag;  but  we  have  no  use  for  it,  for  we  have  no  money  to 
put  in  it."  He  could  not  understand  what  good  it  was  to 
the  Shoshone,  and  said,  "Let  the  white  man  take  it  and 
go  home,  and  come  back  with  something  that  we  can  eat, 
or  use  to  hunt  with." 

These  were  the  sentiments  expressed  by  the  members 
of  the  council.  But  Washakie  had  not  yet  spoken,  and  we 
anxiously  awaited  his  decision. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  357 


CHAPTER  XL VII. 

WASHAKIE'S  BOLD  ATTITUDE— TELLS  HIS  COUNCILORS  THEY  ARE  FOOLS 
—SAYS  THE  WHITE  MEN,  WHO  ARE  WISE,  HAVE  BOOKS— TELLS 
THE  TRADITION  OF  HOW  THE  INDIANS  FELL  INTO  DARKNESS- 
GREAT  SPIRIT  ANGRY  AT  THE  RED  MAN— ADVOCATES  THAT  THE 
INDIANS  LIVE  LIKE  WHITE  PEOPLE— HIS  POWERFUL  SPEECH 
GAINS  THE  DAY  FOR  US- SHOSHONE  TRADITION— WE  START  HOME 
—A  HUNGRY  TRIP— RETURN  TO  THE  INDIANS,  FINDING  THEM 
SULLEN— FOURTH  OF  JULY  CELEBRATION  AT  FORT  SUPPLY- 
RETURN  HOME. 

THE  book  passed  around  the  entire  circle  without  a 
solitary  friend,  and  came  back  to  our  hands.  The 
chief  reached  for  it.  and  when  he  got  hold  of  the  volume 
he  looked  at  and  opened  it,  turned  leaf  after  leaf  as  readily 
as  though  he  had  been  accustomed  to  books,  then  straight- 
ened to  his  full  height  as  he  sat  there,  and  looked  around 
the  circle.  "Are  you  all  done  talking?"  he  asked.  Seeing 
every  man  with  his  hand  on  his  mouth,  he  spoke:  "You 
are  all  fools;  you  are  blind,  and  cannot  see;  you  have  no 
ears,  for  you  do  not  hear;  you  are  fools,  for  you  do  not  un- 
derstand. These  men  are  our  friends.  The  great  Mormon 
captain  has  talked  with  our  Father  above  the  clouds,  and  He 
told  the  Mormon  captain  to  send  these  good  men  here  to 
tell  us  the  truth,  and  not  a  lie.  They  have  not  got  forked 
tongues.  They  talk  straight,  with  one  tongue,  and  tell  us 
that  after  a  few  more  snows  the  buffalo  will  be  gone,  and 
if  we  do  not  learn  some  other  way  to  get  something  to  eat, 
wre  will  starve  to  death.  Now,  we  know^  that  is  the  truth, 
for  this  country  was  once  covered  with  buffalo,  elk,  deer 
and  antelope,  and  we  had  plenty  to  eat,  and  also  robes  for 
bedding,  and  to  make  lodges.  But  now,  since  the  white 
man  has  made  a  road  across  our   land,   and   has   killed   off 


358  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

our  game,  we  are  hungry,  and  there  is  nothing  for  us 
eat.  Our  women  and  children  cry  for  food,  and  we  ha> 
no  meat  to  give  them.  The  time  was  when  our  Fath< 
who  lives  above  the  clouds  loved  our  fathers  who  livt 
long  ago,  and  His  face  was  bright,  and  He  talked  with  01 
fathers.  His  face  shone  upon  them,  and  their  skins  we: 
white  like  the  white  man's.  Then  they  were  wise,  ar 
wrote  books,  and  the  Great  Father  talked  good  to  therj 
but  after  a  while  our  people  would  not  hear  Him,  and  the 
quarreled  and  stole  and  fought,  until  the  Great  Father  g 
mad,  because  His  children  would  not  hear  Him  talk.  The 
He  turned  His  face  away  from  them,  and  His  back  to  ther 
and  that  caused  a  shade  to  come  over  them,  and  that 
why  our  skin  is  black  and  our  minds  dark."  Stripping  i 
his  shirt  sleeve,  he  continued:  "That  darkness  came  b< 
cause  the  Great  Father's  back  was  towards  us,  and  no 
we  cannot  see  as  the  white  man  sees.  We  can  make  a  bo 
and  arrows,  but  the  white  man's  mind  is  strong  and  light 
Picking  up  a  Colt's  revolver,  he  went  on:  "The  white  ms 
can  make  this,  and  a  little  thing  that  he  carries  in  h 
pocket,  so  that  he  can  tell  where  the  sun  is  on  a  dark  da 
and  when  it  is  night  he  can  tell  when  it  will  come  dayligh 
This  is  because  the  face  of  the  Father  is  towards  him,  ar 
His  back  is  towards  us.  But  after  a  while  the  Great  Fathi 
will  quit  being  mad,  and  will  turn  His  face  towards  u 
Then  our  skin  will  be  light."  Here  the  chief  showed  h 
bare  arm  again,  and  said:  '-Then  our  mind  will  be  stron 
like  the  white  man's,  and  we  can  make  and  use  things  lit 
he  does." 

The  chief  next  drew  a  strong  contrast  between  the  Ind 
an's  way  of  living  and  the  white  man's,  telling  his  people  th; 
the  mode  of  the  white  man  was  far  preferable  to  that  of  tr 
Indian.  He  also  told  them  that  the  Great  Father  had  I 
rected  "the  big  Mormon  captain  to  send  these  men  to  u 
to  talk  good   talk,  and  they   have  talked  good,  and   mat 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  359 

our  hearts  feel  very  glad,  and  we  feel  that  it  is  good  for 
them  to  come  and  shake  hands.  They  are  our  friends,  and 
we  will  be  their  friends.  Their  horses  may  drink  our 
water,  and  eat  our  grass,  and  they  may  sleep  in  peace 
in  our  land.  We  will  build  houses  by  their  houses,  and 
they  will  teach  us  to  till  the  soil  as  they  do.  Then,  when 
the  snow  comes  and  the  game  is  fat,  we  can  leave  our 
families  by  the  Mormons,  and  go  and  hunt,  and  not  be 
afraid  of  our  families  being  disturbed  by  other  Indians,  or 
by  anybody  else,  for  the  Mormons  are  a  good  people.  Let 
these  three  good  men  go,  and  find  a  good  place  for  us  to 
live,  close  by  where  they  live;  and  after  a  while  we  will 
come,  and  they  will  show  us  how  to  build  houses,  for  they 
are  our  good  and  true  friends,  and  we  wish  they  would  go 
home,  and  bring  some  blankets,  powder  and  lead,  knives, 
paints,  beads,  flour,  sugar  and  coffee,  to  trade  for  our  furs, 
pelts  and  robes." 

Washakie  spoke  thus  with  great  power  and  wisdom, 
while  his  wise  old  councilors  sat  with  their  heads  bowed, 
and  their  hands  over  their  mouths,  only  grunting  assent  to 
the  strong  points  of  his  powerful  speech,  of  which  this  ac- 
count is  only  a  brief  synopsis. 

No  vote  was  taken,  but  seemingly  every  man  gave  his 
assent  to  the  chief's  decision,  by  a  grunt  of  approval.  Then 
each  man  quietly  withdrew,  and  a  kettle  of  boiled  antelope 
meat  was  set  before  us.  The  chief  had  a  separate  dish 
put  before  him.     Then  we  retired  for  the  night. 

The  camp  was  almost  destitute  of  food,  notwithstand- 
ing the  squirrels  and  sagehens  that  had  been  taken  the  day 
before.  The  whole  camp  was  hungry,  and  the  last  morsel 
of  our  provisions  was  gone,  so  next  morning,  June  9th,  we 
left  camp,  having  a  very  scant  breakfast  of  meat;  but  we 
had  introduced  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  had  had  the 
pleasure  of  having  it  received  favorably  by  Washakie,  the 
great  Shoshone  chief,  and  his  council,  as  the  history  of  their 


360  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

forefathers.  The  chief  said  the  wolves  had  written  that 
book  when  they  were  men.  but  had  since  been  turned  into 
wolves;  that  being  an  ancient  tradition  among  the  Sho- 
shones. 

We  rode  hard  all  day  the  day  that  we  left  the  Shoshone 
camp,  and  at  sundown  camped  by  a  mountain  leek  spring, 
without  a  bite  to  eat.  Nor  had  we  had  anything  to  eat  at 
dinner  time;  so  we  made  our  supper  of  mountain  leeks. 
Next  morning,  the  10th,  we  had  leeks  for  breakfast,  and 
at  sunrise  we  were  in  the  saddle,  and  "on  our  way  back  to 
where  we  had  left  the  other  brethren.  I  was  on  the  lead, 
with  a  double-barreled  shotgun  before  me.  We  had  not 
gone  very  far  before  a  blue  mountain  pheasant  flew  up  from 
under  my  horse's  head,  and  lit  in  the  trail  a  few  yards  in 
front.  I  shot  it  so  quickly  that  I  never  thought  of  my  horse 
being  frightened.  Another  man  jumped  from  his  sad- 
dle, and  had  the  bird  skinned  before  the  blood  had  stopped 
flowing,  while  the  other  built  a  fire.  The  pheasant  was 
broiled  and  eaten  before  the  animal  heat  could  have  gone 
out  of  it,  if  it  had  been  left  where  it  was  shot.  Then  we 
traveled  all  that  our  horses  could  bear  until  3  o'clock  p.  m., 
when  we  came  to  a  flock  of  sagehens.  As  I  was  still  on 
the  lead,  I  shot  three  of  them  before  the  rest  fled.  We 
broiled  one  of  them,  and  soon  devoured  it,  as  we  had  the 
other  bird,  then  continued  our  journey  till  evening. 

As  we  traveled  along  by  a  small  stream  of  water,  I  saw 
a  fish  about  eighteen  inches  long,  and  almost  as  quick  as 
thought  shot  at  and  stunned  it, so  that  it  turned  up  at  the  top 
of  the  water  long  enough  for  an  Indian  boy  who  was  travel- 
ing with  us  to  shoot  an  arrow  through  it.  With  the  arrow 
sticking  through  it,  the  fish  shot  up  to  where  the  creek 
widened  out,  and  I,  thinking  the  water  only  knee-deep, 
plunged  in  up  to  my  hips.  I  caught  the  fish,  we  broiled  it 
for  supper,  and  ate  it  as  we  had  done  the  birds  and  leeks — 
without  salt  or  pepper. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  361 

On  the  nth  we  had  a  bird  for  breakfast,  and  traveled 
till  afternoon,  counting  that  we  had  journeyed  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  miles,  and  reached  our  camp, 
where  we  found  all  well.  The  boys  soon  spread  a  white 
man's  meal  before  us,  and  each  of  us  did  our  part  without 
a  grumble.  Then  we  made  a  short  drive,  and  on  the  12th 
pushed  forward  on  our  way  to  Fort  Supply,  reaching  that 
place  on  the  14th.     We  found  all  well,  and  in  good  spirits. 

June  1 5th  we  loaded  two  wagons  with  a  large  assortment 
of  Indian  goods,  as  we  had  agreed  to  meet  the  Indians  with 
the  merchandise,  in  twenty  days,  on  the  Labarg,  a  tribu- 
tary of  Green  River.  On  the  20th  we  reached  that  stream 
and  as  there  were  no  Indians  there  I  sent  Joshua  Terry,  E. 
Barney  Ward,  and  my  cousin  James  M.  Brown,  to  inform 
the  red  men  that  we  were  on  time  as  agreed.  It  seemed 
that  after  we  left  them  they  had  quarreled  and  divided  into 
three  parties,  and  came  very  near  righting  among  them- 
selves. They  were  therefore  very  different  in  spirit  to 
when  we  left  them.  At  last  they  began  to  come  and  lodge 
in  three  distinct  camps  around  our  wagons. 

On  the  28th,  all  the  Indians  were  very  sullen  and  did 
not  seem  to  be  the  same  people  they  were  a  few  days 
before.  Knowing  something  of  their  nature,  we  turned 
out  about  seventy-five  dollars'  worth  of  provisions  and 
other  goods  as  a  present.  Still  that  did  not  seem  to  satisfy 
them;  they  wanted  all  we  had.  Finally  I  told  them  that 
we  had  done  as  we  had  agreed  to  do,  and  if  they  wished  to 
trade  we  were  ready.  They  continued  to  manifest  a  very 
mean  spirit,  and  we  were  not  able  to  sell  more  than  five 
hundred  dollars'  worth  of  goods  out  of  a  stock  of  three 
thousand  dollars. 

On  June  30th  we  left  three  of  our  party  with  the  In- 
dians, while  the  rest  of  us  returned  to  Fort  Supply  with  our 
stock  of  goods.  The  Indians  felt  very  bad  because  we  had 
not  given  them  all  we  had.     It  was  July  4th  when   we    ar-. 

23 


362  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

rived  at  the  fort,  and  found  the  brethren  there  celebrating  the 
glorious  Independence  Day.  I  was  quite  ill,  but  the  breth- 
ren insisted  on  my  taking  the  lead  of  the  ceremonies.  That 
being  my  birthday,  I  accepted  the  offer,  and  we  had  a  very 
enjoyable  time. 

From   July  5th   to  the  18th  we  continued  our  farm  la- 
bors.    Then  E.  B.  Ward  and  three  or  four  other  men,  includ- 
ing myself,  set  out  on  a  little  exploring  trip  among  the  hills. 
We  crossed  over  to  Henry's  Fork,  then  returned  to  Smith's 
Fork,  where  we  selected  a  place  for  the  Indians  to   settle 
■when  they  saw  fit.     Having  thus  completed  our  obligations 
to  them,  we  returned  to  the  fort,   and   continued  our  labors 
until  August  1st,  when  we  had  a  recruit  of  twelve  men  sent 
to  us,  under  command  of  John  Phelps.     About  August  3rd 
or  4th  I  rebaptized  all  the  Elders,  and  baptized  three  of  the 
first  Shoshone   women   that   ever  came   into   the   Church. 
Their  names  were  Mary,  Sally  Ward,  and  Corger.     I  also 
baptized  a  young  Indian  man  named  Corsetsy.     From  the 
5th  to  the  7th,  the  Indians   came  and   went,   attended  our 
meetings  regularly,  and  felt  very  friendly  and  somewhat  in- 
quisitive.    We  gave  them  a  few  presents.     They  said  they 
were  well  pleased  to  have   us   locate   in   their  country,  and 
were  satisfied  with  the  places  we  had  selected  for  them  to 
settle  and  live  upon  as   we  did.     On   the   7th  of   August, 
Joshua  Terry  and  I  started  for  Salt  Lake  City,  each  with  an 
ox  team  and  two  wagons  loaded  with  furs,  pelts  and  robes. 
We  arrived  in  the  city  on  the   nth,  and  reported  our  suc- 
cess to  Governor  Young,  who  was  pleased  with  our  efforts. 
We  also  settled  for  the  goods  we  had  had  of  him. 

On  the  13th  I  started  for  Ogden  City,  and  reached 
there  the  next  day,  meeting  my  wife  and  firstborn  child,  a 
daughter,  who  was  born  August  10th. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JAMES  S.  BROWN.        363 


CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

AFFAIRS  AT  HOME— START  FOR  FORT  SUPPLY— ILLNESS  OF  MYSELF 
AND  FAMILY— GIFT  OF  HEALING— TROUBLE  WITH  INDIANS  AT 
FORI'  SUPPLY— TUBBUUENT  RED  MEN— 1  HELP  ONE  OFF  MY  FED— 
THEY  PERSIST  IN  TAKING  OB  DESTROYING  OUR  PROPERTY— WE 
STOP  THEM- ONE  ATTEMPTS  TO  KILL  ME— INDIANS  RETIRE  FROM 
THE  FORT— ALMOST  A  CONFLICT— I  CHECK  THE  WHITE  MEN  FROM 
SHOOTING— INDIAN-  WITHDRAW— WE  -END  TO  GOVERNOR  YOUNG 
FOR  ASSISTANCE— OUR  STOCK  AND  GUARDS  DRIVEN  IN -INDIAN 
AGENT  APPEARS  WITH  ANN!  HIES  — THE  SAVAGES  SUBMIT— 
WE  GUARD  DAY  AND  NIGHT— INDIANS  MORE  PEACEFUL— RE- 
INFORCEMENT- ARRIVE  FROM  THE  GOVERNOR— MATTERS  QUIET 
DOWN. 

AUGUST  14,  1855,  I  went  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and  on 
September  3rd  returned  home.  On  the  5th  my  fam- 
ily were  taken  sick  with  cholera  morbus. 

Notwithstanding  this  sickness,  I  started  on  my  return 
to  Fort  Supply,  for  it  was  the  faith  of  myself  and  family 
that  if  I  went  to  my  mission  they  would  be  healed.  Just  as 
I  mounted  my  horse  to  start  out,  my  uncle,  Captain  James 
Brown,  came  along  and  said,  "Jimmie,  are  you  going  off 
and  leaving  your  family  sick?" 

I  told  him,  "Yes,  sir." 

Said  he,  "You  are  cold-hearted,  and  I  would  not  do  it." 

When  I  told  him  that  they  with  me  believed  that  if  I 
would  go  to  my  missionary  labors  they  would  be  healed 
sooner  than  if  I  should  neglect  my  duties  in  that  line,  he, 
with  uplifted  hands,  said,  "Jim,  you're  right.  Go  ahead, 
and  God  bless  you.  Your  family  shall  be  healed,  and  not 
suffer.  I  will  go  in  and  pray  for  them."  He  did  so,  and  I 
afterwards  learned  that  they  were  healed  the  same  hour 
that  I  proceeded  on  my  journey.     I  did  not  see  them  again 


364  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

till  December  20th,  when  they  told  me  that  they  had  not 
been  sick  one  day  after  I  left. 

Although  when  I  started  out  I  was  very  ill  myself  with 
the  same  trouble,  and  had  to  call  at  a  friend's  and  get  a  dose 
of  painkiller,  and  take  a  rest  for  an  hour  or  two  before  I 
could  proceed  on  my  way  to  Salt  Lake  City,  yet  on  the  13th 
I  started  for  Fort  Supply,  and  overtook  the  two  wagons 
which  had  preceded  me  the  day  before.  I  travelled  with 
them  until  the  17th,  then  left  them  and  went  on  horseback 
forty-five  miles  to  the  fort.  I  was  very  sick  for  five  days, 
so  that  I  had  to  keep  my  bed  part  of  the  time.  I  found  all 
well  and  the  wheat  harvest  ready  for  the  laborers,  a  heavy 
frost  having  injured  the  crops  considerably.  On  Friday, 
September  28th,  I  sent  four  men  to  invite  Washakie  to  the 
fort,  and  on  the  29th  we  learned  that  Chief  Tibunduets 
(white  man's  child)  had  just  returned  with  his  band  from 
Salt  Lake  City.  October  1st  I  sent  Isaac  Bullock  and 
Amenzo  Baker  to  visit  him.  They  found  him  and  all  of  his 
band  feeling  very  bad  and  revengeful. 

October  10th  Tibunduets  and  his  band  threw  down  our 
fencing  and  came  charging  up  through  our  field,  riding 
over  wheat  shocks,  and  singing  war  songs.  At  the  same 
time  the  warriors  from  a  camp  above  came  into  the  fort 
with  their  weapons  in  their  hands.  Our  men  tried  to  be 
friendly  and  talked  peace  to  them,  but  it  was  not  what  they 
wanted.  They  said  they  were  "heap  mad,"  for  when  they 
were  in  Salt  Lake  City  the  big  Mormon  captain  had  written 
with  blood  on  their  children,  and  a  number  of  these  had 
died  while  they  were  among  the  Mormons.  These  Indians 
refused  the  seats  offered  them,  but  jumped  on  the  beds  and 
behaved  very  saucily,  saying  they  wanted  pay  for  the 
death  of  their  children  who  had  died  on  the  Mormon  lands. 
Of  course,  we  could  not  afford  to  give  presents  of  that 
kind,  and  their  demands  were  rejected. 

Three   of  the   hostile   Indians  went   to   my    room,  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  365 

one  engaging  me  in  conversation,  the  other  two  jumped  on 
my  bed  and  stretched  themselves  full  length  on  it.  My 
cousin  James  M.  Brown  called  my  attention  to  their  rude 
actions,  and  I  turned  around  and  told  them  to  get  off  my 
bed.  but  they  answered  with  a  contemptuous  bugh.  I  told 
them  a  second  time,  and  they  sneered  again.  I  stepped  to 
the  side  of  the  bed  and  told  them  the  third  time,  and  as 
they  refused,  I  jerked  one  of  them  off  the  bed  so  quicklv 
that  it  surprised  him,  and  the  other  one  thought  he  pre- 
ferred to  get  off  without  that  kind  of  help,  and  did  so 
quickly. 

Tibunduets  made  heavy  demands  on  us,  which  we  could 
not  comply  with.  We  told  him  that  we  were  not  prepared 
to  do  his  bidding,  and  he  replied.  '-You're  a  wolf  and  a  liar, 
and  you  will  steal."'  Then  the  Indians  turned  their  horses 
into  our  fields  among  our  shocks  of  wheat  and  oats,  while 
their  women  went  to  digging  and  sacking  our  potatoes,  the 
Indians  throwing  down  our  fences  in  many  places  and  or- 
dering our  men  out  of  the  fields.  They  told  us  to  leave 
their  lands,  and  continued  their  insults  until  I  sent  some 
men  out  to  order  their  women  out  of  the  potato  patch.  The 
squaws  only  laughed  at  our  men,  who  returned  and  reported 
the  results.  Then  I  went  out  myself,  and  as  I  passed  a 
brush  fence,  I  caught  up  a  piece  of  brush  and  started 
towards  the  potato  diggers,  who  screamed  and  ran  away 
before  I  got  near  enough  to  use  the  stick. 

I  returned  to  the  house  and  soon  was  followed  by  two 
young  braves,  who  rode  up  in  front  of  the  door  and  called 
for  the  captain.  I  answered  in  person,  when  the  braves 
said,  "You  heap  fight  squaw,  you  no  fight  Injun."  Thev 
continued  their  insulting  words  and  threats  of  violence,  un- 
til at  last  I  ordered  them  out  of  the  fort,  upon  which  one 
of  them  drew  his  bow  and  pointed  his  arrow  at  me,  within 
three  feet  of  my  breast.  At  that  one  of  my  men  pushed 
the  horse's  head  between  me  and  the  arrow.     At  the  same 


366  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

time  Amenzo  Baker  handed  me  a  Colt's  revolver,  and 
another  man  covered  the  Indian  with  a  revolver. 

At  that  movement  the  Indians  started  for  the  big  gate, 
and  as  there  was  quite  a  number  of  warriors  inside  the  fort 
I  called  my  men  out  with  their  guns,  for  the  Indians  seemed 
determined  on  bloodshed.  They  rushed  outside,  and  the 
white  men  followed  them  to  where  a  young  chief  sat  on  his 
horse,  just  outside  of  the  gate.  There  must  have  been  a 
signal  given  to  the  camp  above,  for  the  warriors  came  run- 
ning with  their  rifles  in  hand,  until  seventy-five  to  one 
hundred  warriors  were  on  the  ground,  while  there  were 
only  about  forty  white  men.  Everybody  wanted  to  say 
something,  and  in  the  confusion  that  followed  some  ten  or 
twelve  men  leveled  their  guns  to  shoot,  being  in  such  close 
quarters  that  they  struck  each  other  as  they  brought  their 
weapons  into  position. 

At  that  moment  I  sprang  under  the  guns  and  held 
some  of  them  up,  and  forbade  the  men  to  shoot.  This  act 
seemed  to  please  the  young  chief,  and  he  commanded  his 
men  to  desist.  I  ordered  my  men  back  and  into  their 
bastions,  and  to  bar  the  gate.  This  done,  I  took  a  position 
in  the  watchtower,  where  I  talked  with  their  chief  through 
a  porthole,  and  told  him  that  we  were  in  a  position  to  do 
them  harm,  but  did  not  wish  to  do  so,  yet  they  must  withdraw 
in  peace  and  not  molest  our  property,  for  we  should  defend 
it  and  ourselves  to  the  best  of  our  ability.  I  said  that  if 
they  would  withdraw  peacefully  we  would  not  interfere 
with  them,  but  to  that  they  would  not  agree.  After  con- 
siderable parleying,  however,  they  did  withdraw  to  their 
camp  among  the  cottonvvood  timber  and  willows  on  the 
creek,  and  built  large  fires,  around  which  they  danced  and 
sang  war  songs  the  greater  part  of  the  night,  while  we 
made  every  possible  preparation  for  defense. 

As  captain  of  the  fort,  I  wrote  a  despatch  to  the  gov- 
ernor and  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs,  stating  the  facts. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  367 

Then  we  covered  with  blankets  a  slab  bridge  that  had  to 
be  crossed  near  the  gates,  to  deaden  the  sound  of  the 
horse's  feet  as  he  went  out,  and  a  clever  young  man  by  the 
name  of  Benjamin  Roberts  speeded  away  with  the  note  to 
Salt  Lake  City. 

On  the  nth  all  was  quiet.  A  few  Indian  lodges  re- 
mained near  our  fort,  and  the  women  and  children  were 
around  them  as  usual,  so  Isaac  Bullock  and  I  went  down  to 
learn  what  the  situation  was.  We  found  some  of  them  friendly, 
while  others  were  very  sulky.  The  main  part  of  the  In- 
dian camp  had  gone  down  the  creek,  and  we  thought  it 
safe  to  turn  our  stock  out  under  a  mounted  guard,  with 
one  man  in  the  watchtower  to  keep  a  lookout.  About  2 
p.  m.  the  man  at  the  watchtower  sounded  an  alarm,  saying 
he  saw  a  great  dust  in  the  north;  and  a  few  minutes  later 
he  shouted  that  a  large  body  of  horsemen  was  in  sight, 
coming  rapidly  from  the  north,  while  our  horse  guards 
were  coming  with  our  band  of  horses,  hastening  with  all 
speed  to  the  fort.  Immediately  every  man  was  called  to 
take  a  position  for  prompt  action.  I  occupied  a  commanding 
place,  giving  instructions  to  the  men  not  to  shoot  without 
my  order,  and  then  not  unless  they  felt  sure  of  making 
every  shot  tell.  They  were  told  to  see  that  every  tube 
was  rilled  with  powder,  "for  here  they  come,"  said  I;  "keep 
cool  boys,  for  it  is  a  close  race  with  our  men  and  horses." 

It  was  a  question  of  which  would  reach  the  fort  first, 
they  or  the  Indians.  The  race  was  so  close  that  the  guards 
with  our  band  just  succeeded  in  getting  in  with  the  animals 
in  time  to  close  the  gates  against  the  Indian  ponies,  whose 
riders  called  out,  "Open  the  gates!"  They  were  answered 
with  a  positive  "No!  not  until  you  give  up  your  arms." 
They  had  three  mountain  men  in  their  party  of  over  one 
hundred  warriors,  who  shouted  that  they  would  be  respon- 
sible if  we  would  let  them  in,  for  the  Indian  agent,  George 


368  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Armstrong,  was  a  short  distance  in  the  rear,  with  two 
wagons  loaded  with  goods  for  the  Indians. 

As  I  had  not  been  advised  of  the  agent's  approach 
from  any  other  source,  I  still  refused  them  admittance. 
Soon  the  agent's  wagons  were  in  sight,  and  some  of  his 
party  came  up  and  told  the  Indians  they  would  have  to 
give  up  their  arms  before  they  could  enter  the  fort,  for  the 
captain  was  determined  not  to  allow  them  in  with  their 
arms.  At  last  they  submitted,  and  the  gate  was  opened 
just  wide  enough  for  one  man  to  pass  through.  I  stepped 
outside,  the  Indians  handed  their  arms  to  me,  I  passed  them 
to  the  other  men,  and  they  placed  them  on  a  part  of 
a  wagon  sheet.  Then  the  weapons  were  bound  up 
strongly  and  taken  away  and  put  in  my  room,  and  a  guard 
placed  over  them.  The  Indians  were  then  told  that  they 
could  enter  the  fort  and  pass  directly  into  the  blockhouse, 
but  would  not    be  permitted   to  wander  around  in  the  fort. 

About  this  time  the  agent's  wagons  rolled  up  and  were 
hastily  unloaded.  Then  a  friendly  smoke  took  place,  and 
a  short  council,  in  which  the  Indians  agreed  that  they 
would  withdraw  in  peace  and  go  to  their  hunting  grounds, 
and  would  not  molest  us  any  more.  They  said  we  might 
remain  on  their  lands  let  our  stock  eat  grass  and  drink 
water  in  peace;  that  we  might  cultivate  the  lands  and  use 
what  timber  we  wanted,  and  that  they  would  be  our  friends, 
and  we  their  friends.  The  goods  the  agent  had  for  the 
Indians  were  then  turned  over  to  them. 

On  the  13th  the  red  men  brought  in  a  report  that  the 
Sioux  Indians  had  killed  one  of  Jack  Robinson's  beeves. 
This  they  did  to  screen  themselves,  for  it  was  they  and  not 
the  Sioux  who  had  killed  the  animal.  The  agent  gave 
them  a  beef  ox,  and  they  moved  down  the  creek.  On  the 
14th  the  agent  and  party  returned  home,  and  we  kept  up  a 
guard  day  and  night  to  prevent  being  surprised  by  the 
renegades  of  the  Indian  camps;  for  we  had  evidence  of  their 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  369 

treachery.  We  had  given  them  back  their  arms,  and  when 
they  obtained  all  we  had  for  them  they  said  the  white  man 
was  ;,heap  good,  Shoshone  no  kay  nabatint  Mormon."  (Sho- 
shones  do  not  want  to  tight  Mormons.)  They  packed  and 
left,  feeling  quite  pleased. 

General  R.  T.  Burton  with  a  party  of  twenty-five  men 
were  met  at  Fort  Bridger  on  the  16th,  by  myself  and  a 
small  party.  On  the  17th  I  went  with  them  to  Fort  Supply, 
while  they  concluded  to  send  out  a  scout  to  ascertain 
whether  the  Indians  really  had  crossed  the  Green  River  or 
not,  thinking  that  if  they  did  we  could  be  satisfied  that  all 
was  right.  When  our  scouts  returned  and  reported  that 
all  had  crossed  the  river  and  gone  farther  on,  General  Bur- 
ton and  command  returned  home,  while  myself  and  men 
did  up  our  fall  work  at  Fort  Supply. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

START  HOME  FROM  FORT  SUPPLY— CAMP  ALONE  AT  NEEDLE  ROCK- 
AWAKENED  BY  MY  aOKSB-SUKROUNDED  HY  WOLVES— FLASH 
POWDER  ALL  NIGHT  TO  KEEP  OFF  THE  WILD  BEASTS-REACH 
HOME— SUPPLIES  SHORT— HARDSHIPS  OF  A  GRASSHOPPER  YEAR- 
GETTING  MY  CATTLE  OUT  OF  A  CANYON-PERILS  OF  BEING 
CAUGHT  IN  THE  SNOW— GREAT  SUFFERING— BREAKING  A  SNOW 
K'«  >AD—  BUSINESS   AFFAIRS. 


- 


THE  writer  left  Fort  Supply  December  14,  1855,  and 
started  for  his  home  in  Ogden  City  on  horseback  and 
alone,  having  placed  Isaac  Bullock  in  charge  of  affairs  at 
the  fort.  The  first  night  out  I  camped  at  a  place  called 
Needle  Rock,  just  east  of  Yellow  Creek.  There  I  selected 
a  spot  where  the  feed  was  good,   picketed   out   my  horse, 


370  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

set  my  saddle  over  the  picket  pin,  and  spread  my  blankets- 
so  as  to  lay  my  head  on  the  saddle,  lest  the  coyotes  should 
cut  my  riata  and  turn  loose  the  horse. 

As  I  was  alone  and  yet  in  an  Indian  country,  I  did  not 
make  a  fire,  but  ate  a  cold  lunch,  rolled  up  in  my  blankets, 
and  soon  dropped  to  sleep,  to  be  awakened  by  my  horse 
snorting  and  kicking.  The  animaJ  brushed  his  nose  on  my 
head  before  I  was  sufficiently  awake  to  understand  what 
he  meant  by  his  actions;  but  no  sooner  was  I  aroused  than 
I  found  that  he  was  surrounded  by  a  pack  of  large,  grey 
wolves  which  were  growling  and  snapping  at  his  heels  and 
at  each  other.  The  night  was  so  dark  that  I  could  plainly 
see  the  fierce  eyes  of  my  ravenous  enemies  shining  in  the 
darkness  all  around  me. 

I  had  a  good  Colt's  revolver,  but  having  heard  that  if 
wolves  smelled  blood  when  they  were  gathered  in  such 
a  pack  they  would  attack  man  or  beast,  I  reserved  my  fire. 
I  remembered  having  heard  that  these  wild  beasts  were 
afraid  of  the  flash  and  smell  of  burning  powder,  so  I  spread 
some  gunpowder  on  the  leathers  of  my  saddle,  and  with 
flint  and  steel  struck  fire,  and  in  that  way  flashed  powder 
by  intervals  all  night.  The  wolves  would  run  off,  but  re- 
turn in  a  short  time,  as  if  determined  to  have  flesh.  My 
horse  was  too  weak  to  attempt  to  flee,  and  as  for  myself  I  had 
become  so  chilled  and  benumbed  that  it  was  with  some  diffi- 
culty that  I  could  keep  up  the  flashes  till  daylight,  at  which 
time  the  pack  of  wolves  went  away,  leaving  horse  and 
rider  to  resume  their  sufficiently  hazardous  journey  without 
such  unwelcome  company. 

I  crossed  over  to  the  head  of  Echo  Canyon,  where  I 
found  a  yoke  of  oxen  that  some  emigrants  had  left  to  die. 
As  the  animals  had  got  rested  up,  I  thought  I  could  drive 
them  in  and  save  their  lives,  but  had  to  abandon  them  in 
Round   Valley,  Weber  Canyon.     Then,  on   a  poor,   jaded 


372  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

horse,  I  pursued  my  way,  arriving  at  home  about  9.  p.  m. 
on  December  20th. 

I  found  all  well,  but  winter  supplies  of  food  so  short 
that  I  sold  the  only  respectable  suit  of  clothes  I  had 
for  breadstuff.  I  had  about  worn  out  all  the  rest  of  my 
clothing  when  I  was  in  the  Indian  country,  so  that  I  had 
but  one  old  flannel  shirt  left,  and  that  I  had  made  out  of 
two  old  ones.  I  had  one  pair  of  buckskin  pants,  a  rough 
beaver  cap  and  a  pair  of  moccasins. 

It  will  be  remembered  by  the  early  residents  of  Utah 
that  the  year  1855  was  a  grasshopper  year,  as  well  as  a 
season  of  great  drought,  and  therefore  one  of  the  hardest 
years  that  many  of  the  people  had  ever  experienced,  both 
for  man  and  beast./  Hundreds  of  horses  and  cattle  starved 
to  death,  and  many  of  the  people  barely  escaped  the  same 
sad  fate.  I  could  do  no  better  than  to  let  my  horses  go 
out  on  the  range  to  die  of  starvation  and  cold,  and  turn  my. 
hand  to  anything  I  could  get  to  do  to  earn  an  honest  dollar. 

Soon  after  arriving  home  I  was  called  to  devote  a  por- 
tion of  my  time  in  traveling  from  settlement  to  settlement, 
and  preaching  to  the  people;  also  in  visiting  the  Indian 
camps  along  the  Weber  River  and  preaching  and  talking  to 
them,  for  it  was  a  terrible  winter  for  the  Indians.  Before 
entering  upon  these  duties,  however,  I  returned  to  where 
I  had  left  my  caitle  to  rest  for  a  few  days,  and  where  the 
feed  was  tolerably  good.  When  I  started  out  it  commenced 
to  storm  and  by  the  time  I  reached  the  cattle  the  snow  was 
eighteen  inches  deep. 

Before  I  could  get  out  of  the  canyon  with  the  animals 
the  snow  was  two  and  a  half  feet  deep.  My  horse  gave 
out,  and  I  had  to  travel  on  foot,  breaking  the  trail  and  lead- 
ing the  horse  a  few  rods,  then  going  back  and  driving  up 
the  cattle.  I  continued  these  efforts  until  myself  and  stock 
were  exhausted.  When  I  tried  to  start  a  fire,  my  matches 
were  all  wet.     I  had  left   my  rifle  and  shotpouch  at  home, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  373 

and  in  the  pouch  were  my  faithful  flint  and  steel,  which  had 
never  failed  me.  But  for  the  snow,  the  night  was  total 
darkness.  At  last  I  reached  a  clump  of  cottonwood  trees, 
and  for  a  time  I  thought  I  would  die  of  exhaustion  and 
thirst.  I  knew  that  if  I  ceased  to  exert  myself  I  would  chill 
to  death.  Finally  it  occurred  to  my  mind  to  tear  off  a  piece 
of  my  shirt,  roll  it  up.  hold  it  in  one  hand,  and  with  my  re- 
volver shoot  through  it  and  start  a  fire.  I  found  a  large 
sagebrush,  and  from  it  gathered  the  dry  bark.  This  I 
wrapped  around  the  roll  of  shirt,  then  fired  a  shot  through 
it,  and  in  that  way  succeeded  in  starting  a  flame.  As  there 
was  plenty  of  wood  handy,  I  built  and  kept  up  a  large  fire 
during  the  night.  The  river  banks  were  so  steep  that  it 
was  impossible  in  the  darkness  to  get  water  to  drink.  I 
was  driven  almost  frantic  by  thirst,  but  finally  thought  to 
take  off  my  heavy  leggings,  place  them  in  a  position  so 
that  they  would  form  a  kind  of  basin,  and  cover  them  with 
snow,  so  the  fire  would  melt  it  to  water  in  the  leather  bowl. 
In  that  way  I  obtained  water  and  quenched  my  terrible 
thirst.  My  blankets  and  everything  I  had  on  had  been 
soaked  thoroughly  with  the  melting  snow,  but  I  succeeded 
in  drving  all  during  the  night. 

The  dawn  of  day  was  welcome  indeed,  but  my  troubles 
were  not  yet  over,  for  I  found  my  animals  standing  in  snow 
to  their  necks,  and  they  would  not  move  out  of  their  tracks 
only  as  I  broke  an  opening  around  and  urged  them  on. 
The  snow  was  so  wet  and  heavy  that  it  was  an  awful  task 
to  break  a  road  and  get  those  animals  through  for  the  first 
five  miles.  After  that  the  snow  was  not  so  deep,  and  with 
a  very  great  effort  and  hazard  of  life  I  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing Ogden,  as  thankful  as  I  ever  was  in  my  life  to  get  home 
— to  "home,  sweet  home." 

Being  once  more  with  my  family  and  friends,  I  got  up 
my  winter  wood  and  visited  the  people  as  a  teacher.  In 
the  spring  I  finished  a  two-roomed  house  that  I  had  under 


374  L1FE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

way  on  Main  Street.  I  then  moved  into  it,  preparatory  to 
going  to  Fort  Supply  again,  but  was  honorably  released  by 
President  Young  from  further  missionary  labors  in  that 
part.  I  rented  land,  put  in  corn  and  potatoes,  and  spent 
the  fore  part  of  the  summer  at  farm  labor.  Having  ac- 
quired a  fourth  interest  in  three  ferries  on  Green  River,  I 
arranged  with  my  three  partners,  Isaac  Bullock,  Louis 
Robinson  and  W.  Hickman,  so  that  I  did  not  have  to  go 
there,  as  my  health  was  not  very  good;  hence  I  remained 
at  Ogden. 


CHAPTER  L. 

CALLED  OX  A  MISSION  TO  DEEP  CREEK  INDIANS— SHORT  TIME  FOB  THE 
JOURNEY— PREPARE  FOR  THE  TRIP— JOURNEY  IN  THE  DESERT— 
HORSES  STOLEN— TRAVEL  ON  FOOT— SAVED  FROM  PERISHING 
WITH  THIRST— MEET  THE  INDIANS— COULD  UNDERSTAND  AND 
SPEAK  TO  THEM— INDIAN  AGENT'S  OFFER— I  ACT  AS  INTER- 
PRETER—PREACH TO  THE  INDIANS— ON  THE  RETURN  TRIP- 
VISIT  GOVERNOR  YOUNG  WITH  A  DELEGATION  OF  BANNOCK  IN- 
DIANS. 

ON  August  22,  1856.  I  received  a  letter  from  President 
Young,  calling  me  to  take  a  mission  of  thirty  days, 
west  across  the  desert,  to  Deep  Creek,  to  the  Indians  in 
that  region.  As  I  did  not  understand  fully  the  object  of 
the  mission,  I  thought  there  was  some  mistake  in  the  letter, 
since  the  distance  that  had  to  be  traveled  out  and  back 
would  be  about  five  hundred  miles  and  I  was  to  preach  to 
a  tribe  of  Indians  I  had  never  seen,  much  less  being  able  to 
speak  their  dialect,  and  do  it  all  with  only  thirty  days' 
rations.  To  me  it  was,  to  say  the  least,  a  singular  call;  so 
I  went  to  Salt  Lake  City  August  23rd,  to  find  out  that  the 
letter  meant  just  what  it  said,  no  less;  only  that  Geo.  W. 
Armstrong,  an  Indian  agent  from  Provo,  was  going  out  to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  375 

distribute  some  goods  among  the  Indians,  and  it  would  be 
a  good  time  to  send  a  few  missionaries  to  preach  to  the  red 
men. 

From  Salt  Lake  City  I  returned  to  Ogden  and  purchased 
a  splendid  mare  of  widow  Ruth  Stuart,  on  credit,  promising 
to  pay  when  I  could.  On  the  27th  I  joined  Mr.  Armstrong 
and  twenty-five  other  men  in  Salt  Lake  City,  fitting  up  for 
the  journey,  some  as  guards  to  the  agent  and  some  as  mis- 
sionaries. Among  those  I  remember  were  Seth  M.  Blair, 
Oliver  Huntington,  Ormus  Bates,  John  Whitney,  J.  Cooley, 
Harrison  Sagers,  Harrison  Sevier,  and  Peter  Conover; 
there  were  others  whose  names  I  do  not  now  recall. 

The  company  left  the  city  on  August  29th,  and  trav- 
eled through  Tooele,  Rush  Valley,  and  over  Johnson's 
Pass  into  Skull  Valley.  With  five  others  of  the  party, 
however,  I  went  around  by  what  is  now  called  Dugway, 
and  met  the  rest  of  the  company  at  the  springs  in  Skull 
Valley. 

On  September  2nd,  we  reached  Granite  Rock,  some- 
times called  Granite  Mountain,  as  it  stands  out  in  the  midst 
of  the  desert.  There  the  company  camped  at  some  alkali 
springs,  where,  with  cup  and  bucket,  it  took  all  night  to 
dip  water  for  the  stock.  Next  morning  we  found  that  the 
Indians  had  stolen  all  the  team  horses,  eight  head,  so  the 
agent  called  on  the  men  to  volunteer  their  saddle  horses  to 
take  his  wagons  across  the  desert.  Among  the  rest,  I  let 
my  horse  go,  and  eight  of  us  set  out  on  foot  to  cross  the 
desert,  while  some  went  after  the  stolen  stock.  Other 
horsemen  pushed  across  to  water,  and  the  teams  brought 
up  the  rear. 

The  route  was  brushy  and  rocky,  in  some  places  there 
was  heavy  sand,  in  other  parts  stiff  alkali  mud,  and  much 
of  the  time  without  a  sign  of  a  road.  The  writer  was 
taken  very  sick  with  a  severe  bowel  complaint  and  was 
compelled  to   turn  to   one  side,  so  I   fell  behind  my   fellow 


376  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

footmen.  The  teams  lagged  in  the  sand  and  mud  till  long 
after  dark.  I  became  so  weak  and  faint  that  I  could  not 
travel  any  longer,  and  I  laid  down  on  the  damp  ground,  so 
tired  and  thirsty  that  it  seemed  impossible  for  me  to  live 
until  morning  without  relief.  When  I  had  laid  down  for 
some  time,  I  heard  my  bunkmate,  Doc.  Woodward,  shout 
that  he  had  found  water  and  filled  his  canteen,  and  was 
coming  back  hunting  the  missed  and  needy  one.  When 
he  got  near  enough  for  me  to  answer  him,  I  did  so,  and 
with  a  drink  I  was  somewhat  revived.  I  was  helped  on 
my  friend's  horse,  and  we  proceeded  on  for  about  five  miles 
to  camp  and  water.  One  of  the  party  gave  me  a  brandy 
toddy,  spread  my  blankets,  and  I  turned  in,  a  very  grateful 
sufferer.  I  was  given  a  cup  of  coffee,  after  which  I  felt 
very  much  relieved,  and  by  morning  was  ready  to  resume 
the  journey,  the  wagons  having  come  up  about  n  p.  m. 
Next  morning,  September  4th,  we  moved  up  five  or  six 
miles,  to  what  was  called  Fish  Springs.  There  we  found 
a  number  of  Indians,  and  the  party  pitched  camp  for  a  few 
days. 

When  the  animals  had  been  cared  for  and  fires  built, 
the  Indians  gathered  around  in  considerable  numbers.  As 
they  were  talking  among  themselves,  the  writer  understood 
and  commenced  to  speak  with  them  in  their  own  dialect,  at 
which  they  wrere  surprised  and  said  one  to  another,  "Who 
is  this  man,  that  talks  our  talk?  He  has  never  been  in  our 
country  before."  I  was  no  less  astonished  myself;  and  I 
call  the  reader's  attention  now  to  the  peculiar  feature  of  a 
man  being  called  to  fit  himself  out  with  provisions  to  last 
him  thirty  days,  travel  out  in  the  desert  two  hundred  and 
fifty  or  three  hundred  miles,  and  preach  to  a  tribe  of  In- 
dians in  whose  country  he  had  never  been  and  whom  he 
had  never  seen  before.  Yet  when  the  agent's  interpreters 
failed  to  get  the  Indians  to  understand,  the  agent  asked  if  I 
could  talk  with  them.     I  told  him  I  had   never   seen  these 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  377 

Indians  before  that  hour,  '-but,"  said  I,  "Lunderstand  them, 
and  you  see  they  understand  me."  '-Yes,"  said  the  agent, 
but  I  do  not  see  how  it  is  that  you  can  talk  with  them.  I 
have  two  men  employed  as  interpreters,  but  they  cannot 
make  the  Indians  understand.  Now  if  you  can  make  them 
comprehend  what  I  wish  to  tell  them,  I  will  pay  you  three 
dollars  per  day  from  the  time  that  you  left  home  until  you 
return  there." 

"I  do  not  know  whether  I  can  do  your  talking  or  not," 
was  my  response  to  this  proposition.  "I  came  here  to 
preach  to  this  people,  and  I  have  power  given  me  to  do  it 
in  their  own  tongue.  But  I  do  not  know  whether  I  will  be 
permitted  to  speak  for  you  or  not;  if  I  am,  I  will  talk  for 
you."  "All  right,"  said  Mr.  Armstrong,  "have  them  form 
a  circle  in  front  of  my  wagons,  and  tell  them  who  I  am,  and 
what  the  great  father  at  Washington  has  sent  me  here  for; 
that  I  have  brought  them  clothing  and  blankets  as  a  present 
from  the  great  father  at  Washington,  and  that  he  expects 
them  to  be  good  people  and  live  in  peace  with  each  other, 
and  also  with  other  people,  and  if  they  will  do  so  the  great 
father  will  send  good  men  to  bring  more  goods  to  them." 

When  I  told  them  what  the  agent  wanted,  they  at  once 
formed  a  circle  as  desired,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  present. 
Then  the  agent  distributed  the  goods,  to  the  great  pleasure 
of  the  Indians.  He  talked  very  kindly  to  them  and  gave 
them  much  good  advice.  I  interpreted  what  he  said,  and 
then  continued  to  preach  to  them,  telling  them  about  the 
Book  of  Mormon  and  their  forefathers,  and  many  other 
things  of  interest  to  them.  I  seemed  to  have  perfect  liberty 
of  speech  as  I  desired  it,  in  their  dialect,  and  they  listened 
attentively  to  all  I  had  to  say. 

The  next  day  Seth  M.  Blair,  Peter  Conover,  Ormus 
Bates  and  myself  and  four  or  five  other  men  that  belonged 
to  the  missionary  part  of  the  camp,  employed  an  Indian 
guide  to  travel  south  around  the  head  of  Deep  Creek,  to  see 


378  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

what  natural  advantages  there  were  for  settlements,  but  we 
failed  to  find  anything  inviting  until  we  came  to  Deep 
Creek,  where  the  country  seemed  quite  suitable  for  stock 
raising.  About  the  nth  of  September  the  party  returned 
to  the  agent's  camp,  where  we  again  met  with  many  of  the 
Indians,  who  wished  us  to  stop  and  live  with  them  as  their 
friends,  adding,  "If  you  will  not  stop  with  us,  then  tell  the 
big  Mormon  captain  to  send  some  good  Mormon  men  that 
will  tell  the  truth  and  show  us  how  to  make  clothes  like  the 
white  man." 

It  was  the  next  day,  I  think,  that  the  party  started 
back  to  Salt  Lake  City,  the  agent  having  secured  his  team 
horses.  We  traveled  north  of  Granite  Rock,  and  around 
the  point  of  the  mountain  to  the  lake,  thence  along  the 
shore  to  Grantsville.  We  tarried  one  day  with  Mr.  Cooley, 
and  partook  of  the  hospitality  of  himself  and  family. 

After  our  visit  to  the  Deep  Creek  Indians,  some  of 
them  claimed  to  have  received  dreams  and  visions,  in 
which  heavenly  messengers  appeared  and  told  them  to 
go  into  Tooele  and  call  on  the  Bishops,  who  would  tell 
them  what  to  do,  and  for  them  to  obey  the  Bishops.  Ac- 
cordingly, scores  of  them  went  to  Grantsville  and  related 
their  story,  when  they  were  told  to  believe  in  Christ  and 
repent  and  be  baptized.  Many  of  them  obeyed  this  advice, 
and  then  a  missionary  was  sent  out  and  located  among 
them. 

With  our  one  day's  rest  at  Grantsville,  the  party  con- 
tinued on  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  Mr.  Armstrong  paid 
me  ninety  dollars  in  cash  for  my  services  as  interpreter.  I 
returned  home  and  paid  the  ninety  dollars  on  the  mare  I 
had  purchased  on  credit  for  the  mission.  My  labors  as  a 
missionary,  however,  were  still  called  for,  and  I  visited  all 
the  settlements  in  Weber  County,  also  the  Indian  camps, 
and  acted  as  a  presiding  teacher  in  Ogden  City,  often  being 
called    to  arbitrate   differences   between   the  white  people 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  379 

and  Indians.  About  that  time  Snag,  the  Bannock  Indian 
chief,  and  twelve  of  his  prominent  men  called  on  me  to  ac- 
company them  to  Salt  Lake  City  to  see  President  Brigham 
Young  on  some  business.  They  said  they  wished  a  friendly 
talk,  and  to  tell  some  of  their  grievances  and  ask  some 
favors  of  him.  The  latter  constituted  the  greater  part  of 
their  business.  I  accompanied  them  to  President  Young's 
residence,  where  he  received  them  kindly,  furnishing  them 
with  necessary  supplies  of  food  and  fuel.  Next  day,  after 
they  had  had  a  very  friendly  talk  with  the  President,  he 
gave  orders  to  the  Bishops  in  the  northern  settlements  to 
supply  the  Indians'  wants  as  far  as  practicable,  as  it  was 
cheaper  to  feed  than  to  fight  them.  Then  after  all  the 
complaints  of  the  Bannocks  had  been  satisfactorily  adjusted, 
we  left,  they  for  their  homes  in  the  north  near  Fort  Hall, 
the  writer  for  Ogden.  where  I  continued  my  labors. 


CHAPTER     LI. 

UTAH  MILITIA  ORGANIZED— ELECTED  I  AI'TAIN  OF  A  COMPANY— HEAR 
OF  JOHNSTON'S  ARM  Y-8J  (  >l  II  M  .  PART*  SENT  OUT— I  AM  CHOSEN 
AS  GUIDE— TRAVEL  TO  THE  BEAR  LAKE  COUNTRY— COLD  NIGHTS 
AND  LITTLE  FOOD— COM  PL  \IN  V  IN  THE  PARTY— PROVE  THAT  I  AM 
RIGHT— REACH  LOST  CREEE — OME  OF  THE  MEN  OBJECT  TO 
DOUBLE  GUARD— A  DI8COVER1  THAI  REMOVES  ALL  OBJECTIONS- 
STRIKE  THE  TRAIL  OF  BOR8EMEN— PREPARE  FOR  ACTION— TAKE 
A  I  AMP  BY  SURPRISE— THE  MEN  ARE  FRIENDS-ARRIVE  AT  OGDEN 
—CALLED  TO  GO  <»N  AN  IMPORTANT  ERRAND-TUSSLE  WITH  AN 
INDIAN— FAIL  IN  GETTING  DESIRED  INFORMATION,  AND  RETURN 
TO  OGDEN. 

IN  the  spring  of  1857  I  rented  some  land  and  put  in  a 
crop.  Soon  after  this  an  order  came  from  .  Governor 
Young  to  the  Weber  County  officials  to  organize  the  militia 
of  the  county,  which  was  done.  I  was  elected  captain  of 
the  first  company  of  infantry  in  the  Weber  militia  district. 
The  company  consisted  of  captain,  commissioned  and  non- 
commissiuned   officers,  and   one  hundred   men   of  the  rank 


380  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

and  file.  Chauncey  W.  West,  then  the  Bishop  of  Weber 
County,  was  commissioned  general  of  the  district.  He 
appointed  days  for  drill,  and  four  companies  came  together 
in  Ogden  City  for  that  service. 

At  that  time  we  had  not  learned  of  threatened  danger 
from  any  source  except  occasional  Indian  raids;  but  no 
sooner  had  we  got  properly  organized  and  ready  for  self- 
defense  than  news  came  from  the  east  to  Governor  Young 
that  an  invading  army  was  coming,  with  hostile  threats 
against  the  citizens  of   Utah. 

As  the  governor  had  not  been  officially  notified  of  the 
approach  of  United  States  troops,  his  official  oath  bound 
him  to  repel  any  invading  forces.  He  accordingly  sent  out 
scouts  to  ascertain  the  movements  of  the  troops  referred  to, 
and  soon  learned  that  there  was  a  well  equipped  army  of 
nearly  ten  thousand  men  on  their  way  west,  with  the 
avowed  purpose,  it  was  said,  of  destroying  the  Mormon 
Church  and  people. 

Some  time  in  August  General  West  called  out  twelve 
or  fifteen  men  as  a  scouting  party,  to  go  over  in  the  Bear 
Lake  country,  along  the  emigrant  road,  and  from  there  to 
the  head  of  Lost  Creek  and  down  the  Weber  River.  He 
had  heard  of  a  party  going  up  Lost  Creek,  and  over  to 
the  Bear  Lake  country.  General  West  appointed  Major 
Monroe  to  take  charge  of  the  party,  of  which  the  writer 
was  called  to  be  one,  as  I  had  been  acquainted  with  moun- 
tain travel  and  understood  the  Indian  language.  General 
West  told  the  major  to  make  no  move  of  importance  with- 
out consulting  me  as  to  the  journey. 

The  party  proceeded  to  the  divide  between  North 
Ogden  and  Ogden  Valley,  where  we  halted  and  the  major 
privately  told  me  that  he  was  not  accustomed  to  journeys 
of  that  kind,  and  wished  me  to  lead  the  party  through,  for 
I  had  more  experience  than  he  had.  I  declined  the  respon- 
sibility, but  the  major  said:     "I   will   be  responsible   if  you 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  381 

will  lead."  so  I  headed  out  to  Blacksmith  Fork  and  thence 
to  Bear  Lake,  and  around  the  east  side  thereof  to  the  river. 
We  crossed  to  the  California  road  near  the  present  site  of 
Montpelier,  thence  back  east  to  the  road  where  Cokeville 
settlement  is  now  located.  As  we  failed  to  learn  anything 
of  importance,  we  returned  back  over  the  river  and  struck 
out  for  the  head  of  Lost  Creek,  where  it  was  supposed 
that  we  would  fall  in  with  the  scouts  from  the  approaching 
army. 

The  nights  began  to  be  cold,  and  the  food  supply  was 
getting  low.  The  horses  were  somewhat  jaded,  the  route 
very  rough,  and  the  most  of  the  party  were  young  and  in- 
experienced. They  began  to  complain  and  said  that  no- 
body had  ever  traveled  in  so  rough  a  country  as  that,  and 
it  was  all  foolishness  to  be  wearing  ourselves  out  in  that 
way.  They  said  the  writer  did  not  know  himself  where 
he  was  going,  and  I  had  no  business  to  be  on  the  lead,  as 
that  was  Major  Monroe's  place.  The  major,  however, 
promptly  told  the  party  that  I  was  in  the  proper  place. 
Finally  I  called  a  halt  and  told  the  party  that  I  knew  that 
we  were  going  just  right  and  had  been  on  a  trail  all  day, 
but  they  did  not  know  it.  They  asked,  "Where  is  your 
trail?"  and  I  again  told  them  that  we  were  on  it.  They 
laughed  at  me  when  I  said,  -;1  can  prove  it  to  you,  and 
even  tell  you  the  color  of  the  horses  that  have  passed  this 
way."  But  they  thought  me  a  fool  to  talk  thus,  so  I  told 
one  of  the  young  men  to  jump  down  and  remove  the  leaves 
from  a  root  of  a  tree  that  stood  near  by  a  steep  bank,  as  it 
was  plain  to  the  practiced  eye  that  an  old  trail  passed  there, 
and  when  the  leaves  were  removed  he  would  find  that  the 
bark  had  been  bruised  at  the  roots  of  the  tree  by  the  hoofs 
of  passing  horses.  He  found  the  trail  and  the  bark  off  the 
tree  roots,  as  I  had  said.  I  told  the  men  to  look  on  the 
tree  about  the  height  of  a  pony's  side,  and  they  would  find 
hair    that    would    tell    them   the  color   of    the   ponies   that 


382  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

had  passed  there.  They  found  bay  and  white  horses'  hair. 
Next  I  said  to  them,  "Look  on  the  point  of  that  snag  which 
projects  over  the  trail."  They  did  so,  and  found  a  dupli- 
cate of  the  hair  they  had  found  on  the  tree.  Then  they 
said  that  I  could  prove  anything  I  pleased,  and  they  would 
not  dispute  with  me  any  more. 

The  party  passed  on  down  Lost  Creek,  to  a  point 
where  the  country  was  more  open.  When  camping  time 
came  we  turned  into  a  little  creek  bottom  and  put  out  the 
stock.  I  remarked  to  the  major  that  I  felt  as  though  we 
should  put  on  a  double  guard  that  night.  This  was  more 
than  some  of  the  boys  thought  they  could  stand.  Several 
said  that  I  would  run  the  party  to  death,  but  that  they 
would  not  submit  to  any  extra  guard.  Others  said  there 
was  no  use  for  any  guard,  for  nobody  but  Brown  would 
ever  lead  a  party  there;  but  just  then  some  one  hallooed, 
and  we  found,  on  looking,  that  no  one  was  missing  from 
camp.  One  said  it  was  a  coyote,  another  that  it  was  an  owl. 
Again  the  cry  was  heard  distinctly,  and  no  doubt  remained 
of  its  being  a  human  voice.  Then  the  order  was  given  to 
get  up  the  stock,  ready  for  whatever  might  come.  The 
horses  were  soon  picketed  near  camp,  and  every  man 
thought  it  was  proper  to  put  on  a  double  guard  that  night, 
some  of  the  boys  remarking  that  Brown  was  not  such  a 
fool  as  they  had  thought. 

Things  settled  down  for  the  night,  and  next  morning 
the  party  started  out.  We  had  gone  less  than  a  mile  when 
we  saw  fresh  horse  tracks  made  by  shod  horses,  and  the 
droppings  looked  so  new  that  I  directed  a  young  man  to 
ascertain  if  they  were  warm.  The  novel  way  in  which  the 
young  man  performed  that  task  created  some  merriment 
for  the  moment.  Then  the  party  continued  on  a  short  dis- 
tance, when  we  saw  a  smoke  just  over  the  creek  bank 
ahead.  Every  man  was  ready  to  obey  orders,  and  all  dis- 
mounted at  command  and  tightened  up   their  saddle  girths. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  383 

Then  came  the  order  to  see  that  every  tube  was  filled  with 
dry  powder,  and  each  man  was  assigned  his  position  for 
action. 

The  party  was  instructed  not  to  halt  without  orders, 
and  not  to  let  a  horse  put  his  head  down  to  drink.  If  per- 
chance we  saw  a  blanket,  a  handkerchief,  or  any  camp 
equipage,  we  were  to  pass  it  unnoticed;  if  brush  or  any 
obstructions  were  observed,  we  might  be  certain  that  all 
such  signs  meant  ambuscade.  We  then  advanced  cautiously 
and  found  evidence  of  a  party  about  our  own  number,  ly- 
ing encamped  at  the  fire.  We  pressed  forward  on  the  trail, 
and  found  several  bushes  lapped  across  it,  so  that  we  felt 
certain  we  would  soon  fall  in  with  those  ahead,  whom  we 
felt  sure  could  be  none  other  than  a  scouting  party  from 
Johnston's  army.  We  prepared  for  the  worst,  and  as  we 
were  moving  on  double-quick  time  we  saw  a  man  running 
towards  a  grove  of  cottonwood  trees,  from  a  point  of  the 
mountain.  Next  we  saw  the  horses  of  a  party  of  scouts, 
the  top  of  whose  tent  was  soon  discovered. 

Quickly  capturing  the  horses,  we  charged  on  the  tent 
and  surrounded  it.  taking  the  men  by  surprise.  As  they 
began  to  file  out  of  their  tent,  our  party  leveled  their  rifles 
and  called  on  them  to  surrender.  Just  at  that  moment  one 
of  the  surprised  party  recognized  one  of  our  men,  so  that 
we  only  required  them  to  acknowledge  that  they  were 
••dropped  on,"  a  phrase  used  in  those  times  to  express  the 
condition.  We  were  not  long  in  ascertaining  that  the  party 
was  a  scout  from  Davis  County,  in  pursuit  of  the  same  re- 
ported detachment  we  had  been  sent  to  intercept.  But 
neither  of  us  had  seen  or  heard  anything  of  the  party  that 
was  supposed  to  be  in  the  region  of  country  we  had 
been  over.  Without  much  delay,  our  party  hastened  home 
to  Ogden  City,  and  joined  our  regiment,  finding  much  ex- 
citement and  hearing  many  rumors. 

It  seemed  that  there  was  no   rest  for  me,  for   in  a  day 


384  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

or  two  General  West  called  on  me  to  visit  the  camp  of  James 
and  Ben  Simons,  who  lived  about  twenty  miles  up  the 
Weber  River.  The  men  named  were  Cherokee  Indians 
who,  it  was  said,  were  in  possession  of  some  important  in- 
formation which  the  general  wanted  to  get.  He  told  me  to 
learn  what  I  could  from  the  Simonses,  as  they  were  friendly. 

When  I  got  to  the  mouth  of  the  canyon  I  chanced  to 
meet  Ben  Simons  coming  from  Salt  Lake  City.  It  was 
evident  the  Indian  had  been  drinking,  and  as  soon  as  I  met 
him  he  drew  his  Colt's  revolver  and  said,  '-Hold  on  there!'' 
threatening  to  kill  me  if  I  was  Uncle  Sam's  man.  I  suc- 
ceeded in  riding  close  alongside  of  him,  grabbed  his  pistol 
and  held  the  muzzle  away  from  me.  I  tried  to  persuade 
him  not  to  shoot,  for  we  must  be  good  friends.  He  yelled 
again  that  if  I  were  a  Mormon  I  must  fight  his  old  uncle 
or  he  would  kill  me.  He  was  a  powerful  man,  and  I  had 
all  that  I  could  do  to  keep  the  pistol  turned  from  me. 

For  ten  miles  I  had  to  tussle  with  that  Indian,  and  at 
times  thought  I  would  have  to  shoot  him  in  self-defense; 
but  after  the  most  disagreeable  and  hazardous  ten  miles' 
ride  of  my  whole  life,  we  came  to  Gordon  Beckstead's 
ranch.  Simons  regarded  Beckstead  as  his  friend.  The 
latter  persuaded  the  warrior  to  dismount  and  have  a  drink 
of  whisky  with  him,  and  let  me  go  my  way,  for  I  was  a 
good  friend  to  both  of  them. 

I  went  to  James  Simons'  camp  but  failed  to  get  the  in- 
formation desired.  Simons  was  very  friendly,  and  said  that 
if  he  heard  anything  of  interest  he  would  be  pleased  to  let 
us  know  it  at  once.  I  then  returned  to  my  regiment,  which 
was  ordered  into  camp  the  next  day.  We  bivouacked  on 
the  east  bench  in  Ogden  City. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  385 


CHAPTER   LII. 

OFF  OX  ANOTHER  SCOUT— AGAIN  ON  BEAR  RIVER— DREAM  OF  SEEING 
TROOPS— DREAM  FULFILLED— SEND  WORD  BACK  OF  DISCOVERY- 
FIVE  HUNDRED  CAVALRYMEN— HEAVY  STORM— MY  ONLY  REMAIN- 
ING COMPANION  TAKEN  ILL— HE  IS  HEALED  AND  I  AM  STRICKEN 
DOWN-CAMP  IN  THE  SNOW-MY  COMPANION,  EXPECTING  ME  TO 
DIE,  PREPARES  TO  TAKE  MY  BODY  HOME— HE  RETURNS,  PRAYS  FOR 
ME.  AND  I  AM  HEALED  -STRICKEN  DOWN  AGAIN-I  DIRECT  HIM 
TO  LEAVE  ME  AND  RETURN  HOME-HE  <  >BEYS  RELUCTANTLY— I 
EXPEt  T  TO  DIE— PECULIAR  EXPERIENCES-FOUR  YOUNG  MEN, 
SENT  BY  Ml  COMRADE,  COME  TO  MV  RELIEF— .JOURNEY  ON- 
LIGHTING  FIRE  IN  A  STORM— THE  YOUNG  MEN  PRAY  FOR  ME.  AND 
I  AM  RELIEVED— TRAVELING  IK  >ME  WARD— KIND  TREATMENT- 
REACH  OGDEN— ACT  AS  SEXTON— GUARD  0\  ER  SPIES— UTAH  MILI- 
TIA RECALLED— MISSIONARY   LABORS  IN  WEBER  COUNTY. 

r  r^HE  first  night  in  camp  at  Ogden,  General  West  and 
his  adjutant,  D.  Gamble,  called  at  my  tent,  and  told 
me  I  was  wanted  to  take  charge  of  a  scouting  party  to  go 
over  in  the  Bear  Lake  country,  and  start  by  sunrise  next 
morning.  They  directed  me  to  choose  the  men  I  would 
like  to  have  accompany  me,  and  they  should  be  released  to 
go  home  and  prepare.  I  made  a  list  of  five  young,  active 
men,  who  met  me  next  morning  at  sunrise,  having  received 
their  orders.  We  proceeded  to  the  emigrant  road  across 
the  Bear  River,  about  fifteen  miles  above  the  lake.  There 
we  met  with  some  emigrants,  but  could  not  learn  anything, 
from  them,  so  we  crossed  back  to  the  foot  hills,  and  there 
camped  in  a  secluded  place,  where  we  could  overlook  the 
emigrant  road.  Next  morning  at  4  o'clock  I  awoke  from  a 
dream,  in  which  I  had  seen  two  hundred  and  fifty  cavalry- 
men come  and  pitch  camp  just  across  the  river  from  where 
we  were;  then  I  saw  two  hundred  and  fifty  more  come  and 
reinforce   the   first   detachment;   I   also  saw  their  baggage 


386  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

and  artillery  wagons.  I  was  impressed  so  forcibly  with  the 
dream  that  I  called  my  comrades  and  told  them  to  prepare 
for  a  move,  while  I  went  up  one  of  the  high  points  and 
watched  developments.  At  daybreak  I  saw  the  camp  of 
the  first  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  saw  them  form  in  line 
for  roll  call,  and  a  mounted  guard  drive  their  horses  across 
the  river  towards  our  camp. 

The  main  object  of  our  scout  was  to  learn  if  the  army 
or  any  portion  of  it  was  coming  down  Bear  River  and  into 
Salt  Lake  Valley  from  the  north,  and  if  we  saw  any  troops 
on  that  route  to  communicate  the  information  to  head- 
quarters at  the  earliest  moment  possible,  so  that  our  forces 
could  meet  them  at  the  best  places  on  the  route,  and  repulse 
them.  That  that  end  might  be  served  I  sent  two  of  my 
men  with  a  dispatch  to  General  West,  and  as  soon  as  the 
messengers  had  gone  out  of  call  1  again  went  on  the  hill. 
Everything  was  ready  to  move  as  developments  might  in- 
dicate, and  just  as  the  first  party  was  saddling  its  horses  I 
saw  the  second  two  hundred  and  fifty  come  up  and  join  the 
first  party.  Then  the  five  hundred  cavalrymen  proceeded 
down  the  river,  just  as  I  had  seen  them  in  my  dream.  This 
necessitated  a  second  dispatch  and  two  more  of  my  men, 
leaving  me  only  one,  with  whom  I  followed  up  the  troops 
till  they  camped.  It  rained  and  snowed  alternately  all  that 
day  and  night.  My  comrade,  James  Davis,  and  I  went 
after  dark  within  the  lines  of  the  troops,  but  did  not  learn 
of  their  intentions.  Davis  was  taken  with  something  like  a 
congestive  chill,  and  we  were  forced  to  retreat  into  the  hills, 
where  we  camped  for  the  night.  Davis  was  so  bad  that  I 
worked  in  the  storm  all  night  with  him  and  prayed  for  him; 
at  last  he  was  healed  and  we  set  out  on  our  way  home  at 
daylight. 

About  8  a.  m.  the  writer  came  down  sick,  just  the 
same  as  my  friend  had  been,  only  I  also  suffered  with  pleu- 
risy in  the  right  side.   I  could  ride  no  further,  so  we  camped 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  387 

in  the  snow,  where  it  was  about  eight  inches  deep.  Snow 
was  still  falling  as  it  can  only  in  the  mountain  country.  Our 
clothes  were  wet  as  could  be,  and  our  blankets  were  in  the 
same  condition.  The  only  food  we  had  was  the  crumbs 
and  dust  from  some  crackers. 

Davis  succeeded  in  making  a  fire,  but  by  that  time  I  had 
cramped  so  that  I  could  not  speak.  Davis,  supposing  I  was 
dying,  started  out  to  a  quakingasp  grove  to  get  some  poles 
to  make  an  Indian  litter  or  drag,  on  which  he  thought  to 
take  my  body  home.  As  he  went  he  felt  he  ought  to  have 
faith  and  pray  for  his  comrade,  as  he  had  been  prayed  for 
the  night  before;  so  he  fell  on  his  knees  and  prayed,  as  he 
afterwards  said,  as  he  never  had  done  before.  Then  some- 
thing said  to  him,  '-Go  back  and  put  your  hands  on  him 
and  pray  again,  and  he  will  be  healed;"  and  it  was  even  so. 

We  then  traveled  some  fifteen  miles,  when  the  sun 
shone.  We  partly  dried  our  blankets  by  a  fire  and  the  sun, 
and  continued  our  journey  for  some  ten  miles,  when  I  had 
a  second  attack  of  illness,  which  was  so  severe  that  I 
thought  I  had  better  die  alone  in  the  mountains  than  to  allow 
the  enemy  to  gain  the  advantage  in  the  country.  Conse- 
quently, I  told  Davis  to  make  my  horse  fast  by  the  trail 
and  spread  my  blankets,  that  I  might  lie  down.  This  done, 
I  directed  him  not  to  spare  horseflesh,  but  take  the  news 
to  our  Mends  as  soon  as  it  was  possible.  Davis  did  not 
want  to  leave  me  in  that  plight,  but  was  urged  to  go.  He 
staited  reluctantly,  and  in  tears. 

For  a  time  it  seemed  that  I  had  rendered  my  last  ser- 
vices to  family  and  friends,  as  I  lay  down  by  an  Indian 
trail,  sixty  miles  from  any  white  man's  habitation.  While  I 
was  pondering  the  situation,  a  magpie  came  flying  down 
over  me,  and  said  "quack,"  then  alighted  on  a  willow  near 
by,  in  plain  sight.  Next  came  a  raven,  which  gave  its 
"croak,"  as  it  settled  down  near  me,  and  it  seemed  as 
though  it  had  found  prey.     Being  aware  of   the   habits   of 


388  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

these  carrion  birds,  I  wrapped  my  head  in  blankets,  to  pre- 
vent the  birds  from  picking  out  my  eyes,  if  the  worst  came 
to  me;  yet  I  knew  that  my  body  could  not  be  protected 
from  the  wild  beasts  that  roamed  in  the  mountains,  such  as 
the  bear,  wolf,  wolverine,  panther  or  mountain  lion,  wild 
cat  and  lynx,  some  of  which,  if  not  all  these  various  kinds, 
would  be  tugging  at  my  carcass  inside  of  twenty-four 
hours. 

Then  the  birds  circled  over  me,  as  if  to  say,  "We 
want  an  eye,"  or  some  fragment  of  my  body.  I  felt  that 
my  time  was  nigh,  and  unless  the  providence  of  God  inter- 
pose^, I  would  go  the  way  of  all  the  earth  before  the  rising 
of  the  sun.  I  was  chilled  to  the  very  bone,  and  cramped 
so  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  build  a  fire.  It  did  not 
seem  possible  for  me  to  survive  until  my  companion  could 
ride  sixty  miles  and  send  relief. 

While  I  pondered  the  situation,  four  young  men  who 
had  been  sent  with  fresh  horses  and  food  supplies  came  up, 
they  having  met  Davis,  who  sent  them  on  with  all  speed. 
I  think  the  eldest  of  them  was  not  over  seventeen  years 
old.  They  soon  built  a  fire  and  prepared  much  needed  re- 
freshments, and  I  was  greatly  benefited  by  that  special 
providence  of  God,  as  it  certainly  seemed  to  me  to  be. 
While  I  partook  of  the  food,  the  young  men  saddled  my 
horse,  rolled  up  my  blankets,  and  we  rode  eight  or  ten 
miles  that  night,  and  camped  while  the  rain  came  down  in 
torrents.  The  boys  soon  provided  me  with  sheher  by 
sticking  willows  in  the  ground  and  winding  the  tops  to- 
gether and  spreading  blankets  over,  so  that  it  afforded  a 
little  protection  for  me,  and  I  was  soon  wrapped  in  wet 
blankets. 

The  next  thing  was  to  start  a  fire.  Every  match  had 
got  wet,  and  the  boys  thought  it  impossible  to  make  a  fire, 
so  they  asked  me  what  they  should  do.  I  told  them  to  get 
some  cotton   out  of  a  quilt  if  they  could  find  a  dry  spot  in 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  389 

it,  then  put  a  small  priming-  of  powder  in  a  rifle  and  ram 
down  the  cotton  on  the  powder;  in  the  next  place,  go  to  the 
heaviest  topped  sagebrush  they  could  rind,  and  carefully 
reach  under  and  strip  the  dry  bark  off  the  main  stalk  of 
sagebrush,  and  in  that  way  get  a  tinder,  then  come  to  my 
shelter  and  hold  the  bark  loosely  over  the  muzzle  of  the 
gun  and  fire  it  off.  They  got  a  light,  but  they  had  too 
much  powder  and  it  blew  the  fire  out.  They  tried  repeat- 
edly without  satisfactory  results,  and  the  case  was  becoming 
desperate,  as  darkness  was  coming  on.  Two  of  them  got 
under  cover  with  me,  and  I  finally  succeeded  in  measuring 
the  powder  to  them.  Then  they  started  a  flame,  and  as 
wood  was  plenty  they  made  a  rousing  fire. 

In  the  meantime  I  took  to  cramping  and  suffered  so 
severely  that  one  of  the  boys  remarked.  -'Brother  Brown 
will  die.  O  what  shall  we  do?"  Another  said,  "Let  us 
pray."  Then  one  led  in  prayer,  and  he  prayed  mightily. 
As  soon  as  he  was  through,  one  said,  "Let  us  go  in  and 
lay  hands  on  him,"  and  in  a  moment  they  all  gathered 
around  me,  placed  their  hands  on  my  head,  and  prayed 
from  their  hearts.  The  cramping  ceased  and  never  re- 
turned as  severe  as  it  was  before;  yet  I  suffered  greatly 
from  the  pain  in  my  side.  The  writer  regrets  very  much 
that  he  cannot  recall  the  names  of  those  young  lads.  I 
believe  they  were  all  sent  from  Willard  City,  Box  Elder 
County.  God  bless  them,  whoever  they  are.  Their  action 
showed  them  to  be  young  heroes,  with  great  faith  in  God; 
and  but  for  them  I  would  have  died  that  fearful  night. 

Next  morning,  the  party  was  up,  and  off  we  went 
down  Blacksmith's  Fork  Canyon  and  across  to  Wellsville, 
where  I  was  taken  in  by  Bishop  Peter  Maughan  and  his 
good  wife,  who  did  all  they  could  to  relieve  my  sufferings. 
The  Bishop  also  saw  that  the  boys  were  well  taken  care 
of. 

The  following   morning  Samuel  Obray  drove  up  with 


39O  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

a  light,  covered  wagon,  and  a  good  team,  and  I  was  helped 
into  the  wagon.  Sister  Maughan  had  provided  a  large 
canteen  full  of  composition  tea.  She  came  to  the  wagon, 
and  without  thinking  of  anything  else,  she  placed  it  partly 
under  the  side  where  I  had  the  pleurisy  pain.  Then  the 
team  started  for  Brigham  City,  and  before  we  had  gone 
five  miles  the  pain  had  disappeared  from  my  side,  thanks 
to  the  Bishop  and  Sister  Maughan  for  their  special  kind- 
ness, and  S.  Obray.  The  latter  delivered  me  into  the  hands 
of  Colonel  Smith  in  Brigham  City,  where  I  was  cared  for 
until  next  day,  and  then  the  colonel  forwarded  me  to  my 
home  in  Ogden  City,  where  I  recovered  after  suffering 
from  a  severe  cold  and  cough  for  a  few  days. 

During  my  absence  the  regiment  had  gone  to  Echo 
Canyon,  and  there  was  scarcely  an  able-bodied  man  to  be 
found  in  the  city.  The  women  and  children  were  cutting 
and  hauling  wood,  and  doing  all  the  outdoor  work  as  best 
they  could.  A  great  deal  of  sickness  was  brought  on  by 
exposure  and  hardships.  At  a  Sabbath  meeting  a  general 
vote  of  thanks  was  given  the  writer  for  his  efforts  for  the 
general  good  of  the  people  and  his  self-sacrifice. 

About  this  time  there  was  a  very  worthy  young  man 
named  Yough,  who  died,  and  I  was  called  on  to  take  the 
part  of  sexton  and  bury  the  deceased,  as  well  as  some  small 
children  that  had  died.  Meanwhile,  there  were  four  prison- 
ers brought  in  from  the  north;  they  were  supposed  to  be 
spies.  I  was  called  on  to  be  one  of  the  guards  to  take 
them  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  they  were  turned  over  to 
the  military  authorities.  Then  I  returned  home,  to  learn 
that  the  troops  my  scouts  and  I  had  seen  on  Bear  River 
were  General  R.  T.  Burton's  battalion  of  Utah  cavalry, 
which  had  been  sent  out  to  intercept  a  detachment  of  John- 
ston's army  wrhich  had  been  discovered  in  that  direction, 
but  had  returned  to  the  main  body,  which  went  into  winter 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  39I 

quarters  at  Fort  Bridger.     Then  the  Utah  militia  was  with- 
drawn from  Echo  Canyon. 

I  was  next  called  to  take  up  my  missionary  labors  in 
Weber  County.  From  1856  to  1859  I  baptized  and  re- 
baptized  four  hundred  persons,  and  visited  with  the  cate- 
chism from  house  to  house.  In  that  work  I  spent  the  winter 
of  1857-S. 


CHAPTER  L1II. 

MORMONS  ABANDON  THEIR  EOMES  AN!)  MOVE  SOUTH— PREPARE  FOR 
THE  WORST— GO  TO  PAYSON— AFFAIRS  BEING  SETTLED,  RE i URN 
TO  OGDI  N  -<  ALLED  TO  GO  EAST  AS  A  MISSIONARY-JOURNEY 
ACROSS  THE  PLAIN8— MEET  MY  PARENTS  [X  IOWA— PREACHING 
AM)  TRAVELING— MY  FATHER'S  TESTIMONY— MISSIONARY  LABORS 
-CALLED  TO  MISSOURI  —  BNT  TO  BRING  A  HERD  OF  CATTLE— 
'  RETURN  TO  MY  PARENTS'  HOME— BED  FAREWELL  TO  THEM— 
PURCHASING  CATTLE. 

SOME  time  in  May,  1858,  as  I  remember,  an  order 
came  from  President  Brigham  Young  for  everybody 
living  north  of  Utah  County  to  move  south  and  leave  their 
homes  prepared  for  burning;  for  it  had  been  decided  that 
if  Johnston's  army  came  in,  as  it  had  threatened  to  do,  with 
hostile  intentions,  the  people  would  lay  waste  the  country 
and  fight  to  the  bitter  end.  I  do  not  remember  that  there 
was  a  dissenting  voice  from  this  determination. 

Everybody  moved  out  to  the  south,  myself  and  family 
going  to  Payson,  one  hundred  miles  from  Ogden.  There 
we  made  a  camp,  and  I  cut  wild  hay  and  hauled  it  for  a 
livelihood,  that  being  the  only  employment  I  could  find. 

In  the  latter  part  of  July,  when  peace  had  been  re-es- 
tablished, I  returned  home  and  made  hasty  preparations 
for  my  family  for  the  winter,  as  I  had  been  called  by  Presi- 


392 


LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


dent  Brigham  Young  to  accompany  General  Horace  S. 
Eldredge  to  Florence,  Nebraska,  with  a  company  consist- 
ing of  twenty  men  who  were  going  on  business  and  partly 
as  missionaries.  I  belonged  to  the  latter  class.  I  went  into 
the  western  part  of  Iowa,  being  assigned  to  that  field  of 
labor,  while  the  others   went   to  their   several   destinations. 

The  company  was  to  have  moved  out  on  the  ist  of 
September,  so  I.  A.  Canfield  and  I,  fitted  with  a  four-mule 
team  and  light  wagon,  were  in  Salt  Lake  City  ready  to 
start  at  the  appointed  time;  but  the  rest  of  the  party  would 
not  or  could  not  be  ready  for  ten  or  twelve  days,  so  we  re- 
turned home  and  stayed  until  the  nth.  We  then  went  to  Salt 
Lake  City  and  waited  until  the  14th,  and,  as  the  party  was 
still  tardy,  we  moved  out  to  the  top  of  the  Little  Mountain, 
and  there  camped.  From  that  place  we  proceeded  to  the 
Weber  River,  where  we  were  overtaken  by  John  Neff  and 
Dusten  Arna.  who  were  to  join  the  party  when  it  came  up. 
As  their  teams  were  not  in  the  best  of  plight  for  the  jour- 
ney, we  traveled  together  to  Ham's  Fork,  where  we 
stopped  on  the  19th,  and  waited  for  those  yet  in  the  rear  to 
come  up.  About  8  o'clock  that  evening  H.  S.  Eldredge, 
Jos.  W.  Young  and  Horton  Haight  reached  our  camp. 

On  the  20th.  the  company  having  got  together,  pro- 
ceeded on  the  way  to  the  Sweetwater.  On  the  26th  we 
reached  the  Platte  River,  where  I  was  taken  very  sick  with 
hemorrhoids  of  the  bowels.  With  that  exception,  all  moved 
smoothly.  On  the  28th  we  passed  Fort  Laramie,  and  my 
health  began  to  improve,  though  I  had  been  brought  almost 
to  death's  door,  and  the  company  was  detained  one  after- 
noon in  consequence.  After  that  I  improved,  and  the  com- 
pany made  rapid  headway.  October  3rd  two  deserters 
from  Fort  Laramie  passed  the  party.  They  had  stolen  two 
horses  and  a  mule  from  the  government,  and,  as  I  remember 
it.  made  good  their  escape. 

Nothing   happened   out  of   the  ordinary   until  October 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  393 

19th.  when  the  party  arrived  at  Florence,  Nebraska,  on  the 
Missouri  River.  From  that  point  each  went  to  his  field  of 
labor  or  to  his  business,  as  planned  beforehand.  Canfield 
and  I  crossed  the  river  to  L.  O.  Littlefield's,  in  Crescent 
City,  and  stayed  over  night  with  him  and  his  family,  and 
on  the  20th  proceeded  on  our  way  to  Calhoun,  Harrison 
County.  Iowa,  where  my  father  lived  with  his  family.  We 
were  soon  overtaken  by  Clayton  Webb  and  B.  H.  Dennis, 
my  brothers-in-law.  I  accepted  a  seat  in  their  buggy  and 
they  took  me  to  my  father's  home. 

I  had  not  seen  father  for  eleven  years.  I  was  an  en- 
tire stranger  to  every  one  of  the  family,  who  kept  a  hotel. 
I  went  in  and  ate  with  strangers,  and  did  not  make  myself 
known  until  after  all  the  evening  work  was  done.  Thenr 
after  I  was  satisfied  that  they  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of 
my  identity,  I  told  them  who  I  was.  It  was  some  time  be- 
fore they  could  realize  that  what  I  said  was  true.  To  them  it 
seemed  that  the  dead  had  come  10  life,  and  the  long  iost 
had  been  found,  for  they  had  all  given  up  hope  of  ever  see- 
ing me  again.  It  was  not  difficult  for  me  to  recognize  my 
father  and  mother,  but  my  elder  brother  and  sister  were 
dead,  and  the  younger  ones  had  all  grown  out  of  memory.. 

When  I  had  visited  with  them  a  few  days,  I  preached 
several  times  in  the  public  schoolhouse,  and  then  traveled 
and  preached.  On  one  occasion  I  had  a  walk  and  talk  with 
my  father  alone.  We  talked  of  my  absence,  and  he  said, 
"James,  I  had  given  up  all  hopes  of  ever  seeing  your  face 
again,  but  thanks  be  to  God  I  have  that  privilege.  You 
always  have  stood  up  for  the  faith  and  have  been  a  man 
through  thick  and  thin  for  your  religion."  Then  he  said, 
k-Oh  that  I  had  the  faith  that  I  once  had,  and  felt  as  I  have 
felt!  I  would  be  a  happy  man  if  I  had  the  spirit  that  you 
have,  and  that  I  once  had."  He  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears, 
and  exclaimed,  "Oh,  my  God,  I  am  in  the  dark  and  I  do 
not  know  that  I  shall  ever  feel  as  I  once  felt.    Then  I  could 

25 


394 


LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


divide  the  last  loaf,  yes,  the  last  morsel  of  food  that  I  had 
with  a  Mormon.  Talk  about  heaven!  The  true  spirit  of 
Mormonism  is  heaven.  I  thank  God  that  you  have  kept 
the  faith,  though  you  have  had  a  hard  time  of  it."  Then 
he  added,  "James,  stick  to  it  and  never  give  it  up;  for  if 
there  is  any  salvation  for  me  or  any  of  my  family  it  will  be 
through  you,  for  you  are  the  Joseph  of  my  family,  and  I 
have  known  it  since  before  you  were  born."  He  then 
seemed  as  humble  as  a  little  child,  and  continued:  "James, 
be  faithful  in  the  work,  but  as  for  me  or  any  of  my  family 
going  to  Utah,  I  don't  think  we  will  ever  go." 

I  told  him  he  could  do  no  better  than  to  go  with  his 
entire  family  and  renew  their  covenants,  for  the  good  Spirit 
was  for  all  who  would  seek  it  in  the  proper  way.  At  last 
father  said  that  he  did  not  know  what  they  should  do  yet, 
the  weather  being  wet  and  cold. 

We  returned  into  the  house  and  I  stayed  with  the 
family  the  first  month,  preaching  in  the  public  schoolhouse 
every  Sabbath.  Then  my  brother  Willis  and  I  traveled 
around  from  place  to  place,  and  preached  everywhere  we 
found  an  opportunity,  first  to  Raglan  Township,  and  then 
to  the  northeast,  forty  miles  into  Shelby  County.  We 
preached  several  times  in  Garden  Grove  schoolhouse,  and 
went  from  there  to  a  small  town  called  Monteno,  thence  to 
Pottawatomie  County.  We  preached  to  a  full  hall  in  Coun- 
cil Bluffs  City,  then  went  out  on  Mosquito  Creek,  in  what 
was  called  the  Garner  settlement.  Thus  we  continued  to 
travel  and  preach  from  place  to  place  and  bear  our  testi- 
monies, as  health  and  opportunity  permitted. 

In  January,  1859,  ^  preached  my  cousin  Ira  Johnson's 
funeral  sermon;  he  had  been  accidentally  shot  and  killed 
while  out  with  a  surveying  party  in  that  region  of  country. 
The  same  day  I  baptized  six  persons  and  confirmed  them; 
this  was  at  my  father's  house,  and  from  that  time  my  father 
seemed  quite  changed  in   his  feelings.     He   said   it  was   all 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  395 

that  he  could  do  to  keep  out  of  the  water,  and  stated  that 
he  had  never  felt  better  in  his  life  than  he  did  on  that  occa- 
sion. Said  he,  "James,  I  want  you  to  preach  all  the  time." 
On  April  7th  I  received  a  letter  from  General  Horace 
S.  Eldredge,  asking  me  to  come  down  to  Platte  County, 
Missouri,  and  receive  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven  head 
of  work  oxen  that  he  had  contracted  for  with  Mr.  Lampton 
and  Mr.  Thompson,  cattle  merchants.  Having  also  received 
the  written  contract  for  the  cattle,  I  started  on  the  8th,  and 
on  the  9th  I  took  passage  on  the  steamboat  Satan,  which 
lay  at  the  Council  Bluffs  landing.  I  paid  ten  dollars  for 
passage  to  Parkville,  Platte  County,  Missouri.  The  boat 
called  at  all  important  towns  and  landings.  Nothing  out  of 
the  ordinarv  happened  except  that  we  were  driven  under  a 
high  sandbank  in  a  short  bend  of  the  river,  by  a  powerful 
wind  storm,  and  in  trying  to  extricate  the  boat,  the  side- 
wheel  next  the  shore  threw  the  water  with  such  force 
against  the  bank  as  to  cause  it  to  cave  in  onto  the  boat,  so 
that  the  guards  and  wheelhouse  were  carried  away. 

I  landed  at  Parkville  on  April  13th,  stopped  overnight, 
and  on  the  14th  proceeded  eight  miles  to  Mr.  Thompson's. 
On  the  15th  I  went  with  him  to  his  partner  in  the  contract, 
Mr.  Lampton.  The  men  General  Eldredge  promised  in 
his  letter  on  the  15th  to  send  to  help  drive  and  care  for  the 
cattle,  did  not  arrive  until  the  27th,  when  Eldredge  came 
with  five  men.  He  furnished  money  to  pay  the  expenses, 
and  gave  instructions,  then  returned  to  St.  Louis.  On  the 
28th,  29th  and  30th,  myself  and  party  received  and  branded 
one  hundred  and  seventy-seven  head  of  work  oxen  and  two 
valuable  mules. 

We  started  for  the  north  on  May  1st,  traveling  through 
Rochester,  Marysvale,  Lindon  and  Sydney,  keeping  from 
the  river  and  on  the  high,  rolling  prairies,  through  what 
was  called  the  Platte  purchase  in  Missouri.  We  arrived  in 
Council  Bluffs  on  May  15th,  and  went  from  there  to  Flor- 


396  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

ence,  Nebraska,  where  I  delivered  up  the  drove  of  cattle 
and  span  of  mules,  on  the  16th,  to  Bishop  Frederick  Kes- 
ler,  who  was  General  Eldredge's  agent.  We  lost  but  one 
head  from  among  the  cattle,  although  we  had  an  exceed- 
ingly stormy  and  muddy  time  of  it  most  of  the  way,  having 
to  swim  several  streams  that  had  been  swollen  by  the  heavy 
rains,  so  that  the  journey  was  taken  with  great  hardships, 
and  danger  as  well. 

I  went  to  my  father's  home  on  the  17th,  in  Calhoun 
County,  Iowa,  settled  with  my  father,  who  was  very  kind 
to  me  and  my  brother  Willis,  helping  us  to  two  yoke  of  oxen 
to  cross  the  plains  with.  We  bade  farewell  to  the  parental 
home  and  to  the  family  on  the  27th.  Father  accompanied 
us  to  Council  Bluffs  and  paid  our  expenses  until  the  30th, 
when  we  parted  with  him.  We  crossed  the  river  at  Omaha, 
and  moved  up  to  Florence,  where  we  went  into  a  camp  or 
rendezvous  and  waited  for  others  to  come  to  make  a  com- 
pany strong  enough  to  cross  the  plains. 

The  company  had  its  camp  some  three  miles  north- 
west of  Florence,  where  General  Eldredge,  the  Church 
agent,  and  Elder  George  Q.  Cannon,  agent  for  the  Euro- 
pean emigration,  both  called  on  me  to  go  out  into  Nebraska 
and  also  to  cross  into  Iowa  and  purchase  work  cattle  for 
them.  Each  furnished  me  with  five  hundred  dollars  in  gold 
then,  and  as  it  was  the  time  that  hundreds  of  gold  hunters 
were  returning  from  Pike's  Peak,  I  had  great  success  in 
my  purchases,  spending  a  thousand  dollars  some  days  in 
the  purchase  of  cattle,  buying  whole  teams  as  they  stood 
on  the  road,  sometimes  wagons,  equipage  and  provisions. 
I  would  hire  a  trusty  man  to  drive  them  up  to  Florence, 
and  then  I  would  replenish  my  pockets  and  go  on  again. 
For  ten  days  I  traveled  early  and  late,  and  did  thousands 
of  dollars'  worth  of  business  for  the  Church  and  emigration. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  397 


CHAPTER    LIV. 

GIVEN  CHARGE  OF  A  COMPANY  TO  CROSS  THE  PLAINS  TO  UTAH- 
COMPOSITION  OF  THE  CAMP  — START  WEST  — PERFORM  BAP- 
TISMS—MEET A  WAR  PARTY  OF  SloCX  INI  >I  A  NS— PLACE  WHKRE 
A.  W,  RAPBITT  WAS  KILLED  —  MEET  MORE  INDIANS  — HOW 
TROUBLE  WAS  AVOIDED— CAMP  LIFE  AND  DUTIES— ENTER  SALT 
LAKE  VALLEY— COMPANY  GREETED  BY  THE  CHURCH  AUTHOR- 
ITIES-REPORT TO  PRESIDENT  YOUNG  AND  AM  RELEASED— 
TRADE  AT  CAMP  FLOYD  —  EXPERIENCE  WITH  A  THIEF  —  GO 
TO  WORK  ON  THE  OGDEN  CANYON  ROAD  —  HARDSHIPS  EN- 
DURED. 

OX  Sunday.  June  12th,  Elders  Eldredge  and  Cannon 
visited  the  camp  and  held  meeting,  then  organized 
the  company,  naming  James  S.  Brown  for  president  and 
captain,  the  selection  being  unanimously  sustained.  George 
L.  Farrell  was  made  sergeant  of  the  guard,  William  Wright 
chaplain,  and  John  Gordon  secretary.  A  captain  was  ap- 
pointed over  each  ten  wagons,  namely:  first,  Wm.  Steel; 
second,  W.  Williams;  third,  Christopher  Funk;  fourth, 
Newbury;  fifth,  Kent;  sixth,  Giddens.  These  names  were 
suggested  by  Messrs.  Eldredge  and  Cannon,  and  were 
unanimously  sustained  by  the  company  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty-three  souls.  The  outfit  consisted  of  fifty-nine 
wagons  and  one  hundred  and  four  yoke  of  oxen,  eleven 
horses,  thirty-five  cows,  and  forty-one  head  of  young  cat- 
tle that  were  driven  loose.  We  had  provisions  for  seventy- 
five  days. 

On  June  13th,  1859,  tne  company  set  out  for  Salt  Lake 
City,  Utah.  There  were  nine  different  nationalities  of 
people  represented,  namely:  English,  Irish,  Scotch,  Welsh, 
Danish,  Swedish,  Norwegians  and  Icelanders;  we  also 
had  some  Americans  from  the  Eastern,  Middle  and  South- 


398  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

ern  States,  all  mixed  together.  Many  of  them  had  never 
driven  an  ox  one  mile  in  their  lives,  and  the  result  was 
almost  like  herding  a  train  on  the  plains.  If  it  had 
not  been  for  G.  L.  Farrell,  James  Hickson,  Samuel 
Garnet  and  Willis  Brown,  all  excellent  ox  teamsters,  besides 
some  five  or  six  others  that  were  quite  handy,  we  would 
doubtless  have  had  most  destructive  stampedes.  As  it  was, 
the  company  did  not  have  any  serious  mishaps.  In  a  few 
days  the  train  became  regulated  and  we  had  more  system 
and  order  in  travel.  For  the  first  five  or  six  days  of  the 
journey  the  stock  seemed  in  danger  of  being  destroyed  by 
flies  and  mosquitoes,  and  the  people  suffered  much  from 
the  same  cause.  On  the  18th  we  passed  Captain  Rowley 
with  the  handcart  company. 

On  June  19th  the  camp  stopped  on  the  Loup  Fork,  a 
tributary  of  the  Platte  River.  There  was  a  small  town  there 
called  Columbus.  On  the  20th  the  company  moved  up  the 
river  and  camped  on  a  small  stream,  Looking  Glass  Creek. 
That  afternoon  I  baptized  and  rebaptized  eighty  souls,  and 
other  Elders  confirmed  them,  while  some  men  of  the  com- 
pany bridged  the  stream.  On  the  21st  we  proceeded  to 
Genoa  Ferry,  where  we  were  joined  by  Captain  Walding's 
company  of  thirty-seven  souls  and  ten  more  wagons,  thus 
increasing  my  company  to  three  hundred  and  ninety  persons 
and  sixty-nine  wagons,  with  cattle  and  other  property  in 
proportion.  At  that  place  we  chartered  the  ferry  boat  from 
J.  Johnston  and  did  the  work  ourselves.  We  paid  seventy- 
five  cents  a  wagon,  and  it  took  fifteen  hours'  hard  labor  to 
cross.  The  stock  all  swam  safely  over,  and  the  company 
camped  on  the  west  bank.  The  handcart  company  came 
up  that  night  about  10  o'clock.  On  the  23rd  our  company 
proceeded  up  the  river. 

We  met  with  a  company  of  Sioux  Indians  on  the  24th. 
These  formed  a  line  of  battle  across  the  road  ahead  of  the 
company,  and  sent  two  men   to   meet   as.     I  was  traveling 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  399 

in  advance  of  the  company,  and  although  I  had  never  been 
among  the  Sioux  Indians  in  my  life  for  an  hour,  nor  had  I 
ever  been  where  I  had  an  opportunity  to  study  their  lan- 
guage, I  had  not  the  slightest  difficulty  in  talking  to  them, 
or  they  to  me.  Consequently  I  learned  at  once  that  these 
Indians  were  on  the  war  path,  and  were  hunting  the  Omahas 
and  Poncas'.  They  were  hungry  and  said  they  must  have 
food  from  the  company;  so  they  were  told  to  form  a  line 
parallel  with  the  road,  and  to  keep  one-fourth  of  a  mile  back, 
so  as  not  to  stampede  the  train  or  frighten  the  women  and 
children.  They  were  allowed  to  send  two  men  on  foot  to 
spread  blankets  where  the  company  could  put  such  food  as 
we  had  to  share. 

Meanwhile  I  gave  orders  to  the  sergeant  of  the  guard, 
G.  L.  Farrell,  and  the  several  captains  to  draw  up  in  close 
order,  have  every  teamster  in  his  place,  and  all  the  women 
and  children  in  the  wagons,  and  for  each  man  to  have  his 
gun  where  he  could  lay  his  hand  on  it  without  a  moment's 
delay.  Each  family  was  to  place  some  food  on  the  blankets 
by  the  roadside.  Not  one  team  was  to  stop  without  orders. 
The  wagons  were  to  be  corralled  as  quickly  as  possible,  if 
they  must  be,  at  the  first  signal  from  the  captain  to  do  so; 
for  the  Indians  appeared  very  warlike  in  their  paint  and 
feathers. 

When  the  red  men  learned  that  it  was  a  company  of 
Mormons  they  had  met,  they  readily  complied  with  the 
captain's  terms,  and  a  number  rode  up  and  shook  hands 
with  him.  As  the  company  passed  their  lines  of  not  more  than 
one  hundred  and  fifty  warriors,  there  came  fourteen  buffalo 
in  sight,  quite  close,  and  attention  was  turned  to  them  so 
much  that  the  Indians  took  what  the  company  had  placed 
on  their  blankets  and  we  passed  on  without  further  inter- 
ruption. 

It  was  about  this  date  that  the  teamsters  had  become 
acquainted  with  their  teams  and  the  latter  acquainted  with 


400  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

their  drivers,  so  that  things  began  to  work  more  orderly 
than  before.  The  camp  was  called  together  every  evening 
for  prayers,  and  for  instructions  for  the  next  day. 

About  the  26th  the  company  started  across  from  the 
Loup  Fork  to  Wood  River.  That  night  the  stock  took 
fright  and  gave  some  trouble  before  they  were  recovered; 
but  the  next  morning  the  company  resumed  its  journey, 
leaving  Wood  Birdno  to  pursue  two  valuable  young  fillies, 
one  his  own  and  the  other  belonging  to  Captain  Brown. 
Mr.  Birdno  did  not  overtake  the  company  till  the  fifth  day. 

One  evening  the  company  camped  on  a  tributary  of  the 
Platte  River, where  Almon W.  Babbitt  was  killed  by  the  Sioux 
Indians  some  eighteen  months  or  two  years  before.  The 
company  crossed  the  stream  and  camped  just  opposite 
where  that  terrible  tragedy  occurred,  and  just  as  the  cattle 
were  being  unyoked  the  Sioux  Indinas  flocked  into  camp, 
all  well-armed  warriors.  I  saw  that  it  was  quite  possible 
that  they  meant  mischief,  as  there  were  no  Indian  families 
in  sight;  so  I  called  to  the  company  to  continue  their  camp 
duties  as  if  nothing  unusual  had  happened,  but  for  every 
man  to  see  to  his  firearms  quietly  and  be  ready  to  use  them 
if  an  emergency  should  arise.  Then  I  turned  to  the  chief, 
and  it  being  again  given  to  me  to  talk  and  understand  the 
Indians,  I  asked  what  their  visit  meant,  if  it  was  peace  that 
they  go  with  me  to  the  middle  of  the  corral  of  wagons  and 
smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  and  have  a  friendly  talk,  as  myself 
and  people  were  Mormons  and  friends  to  the  Indians,  and 
that  I  wished  them  to  be  good  friends  to  me  and  my  people. 

The  chief  readily  responded,  and  called  his  peace  coun- 
cil of  smokers  to  the  center  of  the  corral,  where  they  seated 
themselves  in  a  circle.  I  took  a  seat  to  the  right  hand  of  the 
chief  and  then  the  smoking  and  talking  commenced.  The 
chief  assured  me  that  their  visit  was  a  friendly  one,  and  to 
trade  with  the  emigrants.  I  inquired  of  him  why, if  their  visit 
meant  peace,  they  all  came  so   well  armed.     He  answered 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  4OI 

that  his  people  had  just  pitched  camp  a  short  distance  back 
in  the  hills,  and  not  knowing  who  we  were  had  come  down 
before  laying  down  their  arms. 

By  this  time  it  seemed  that  there  were  about  three 
Indians  to  one  white  person  in  the  camp.  I  told  the  chief 
that  it  was  getting  too  late  to  trade,  my  people  were  all  busy 
in  camp  duties,  and  I  was  going  to  send  our  stock  to  where 
there  was  good  feed  for  them.  It  was  my  custom,  I  said, 
to  send  armed  men  to  watch  over  them,  and  the  guards 
always  had  orders  to  shoot  any  wild  beast  that  might  dis- 
turb them,  and  if  anybody  were  to  come  among  the  stock 
in  the  night,  we  thought  them  to  be  thieves  and  our  enemies. 
If  they  attempted  to  drive  off  our  stock,  the  guards  had 
orders  to  shoot,  and  our  camp  guards  also  were  ordered  to 
shoot  any  thief  that  might  come  prowling  around  camp  at 
night.  I  said  that,  as  we  did  not  desire  to  do  the  Indians 
any  harm,  we  wished  the  chief  and  his  men  to  go  to  their 
camp,  as  it  was  now  too  late  to  trade.  But  in  the  morning, 
when  the  sun  shone  on  our  wagon  covers,  not  when  it 
shone  on  the  mountain  tops  in  the  west,  but  when  it  shone 
on  our  tents  and  wagon  covers,  they  could  leave  their  arms 
behind  and  come  down  with  their  robes,  pelts  and  furs,  and 
we  would  trade  with  them  as  friends;  but  he  was  not  to 
allow  any  of  his  men  to  visit  our  camp  or  stock  at  night. 

The  chief  said  that  was  heap  good  talk,  and  ordered 
his  people  to  return  to  their  own  camp.  They  promptly 
obeyed,  to  the  great  relief  of  the  company,  which  had  been 
very  nervous,  as  scarcely  one  of  them  except  myself  had 
ever  witnessed  such  a  sight   before. 

Next  morning,  between  daylight  and  sunrise,  tne  In- 
dians appeared  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  northeast  of  camp. 
There  seemed  to  be  hundreds  of  them  formed  in  a  long  line 
and  making  a  very  formidable  array.  Just  as  the  sunlight 
shone  on  the  tents  and  wagon  covers  they  made  a  descent 
on  us  that  sent  a  thrill  through  every   heart   in   camp,  until 


402  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

it  was  seen  that  they  had  left  their  weapons  of  war  behind, 
and  had  brought  only  articles  of  trade.  They  came  into  the 
center  of  the  corral,  the  people  gathered  with  what  they  had 
to  trade,  and  for  a  while  a  great  bargaining  was  carried  on. 
For  once  I  had  more  than  I  could  do  in  assisting  them  to 
understand  each  other,  and  see  that  there  was  no  disturb- 
ance or  wrong  done  in  the  great  zeal  of  both  parties. 

The  trading  was  over  without  any  trouble,  there  was 
a  hearty  shaking  of  hands,  and  the  company  resumed  its 
journey  up  the  river,  passing  and  being  repassed  by  numer- 
ous companies  moving  west  to  Pike's  Peak  and  to  Utah, 
California,  or  Oregon.  There  were  gold  seekers,  freight- 
ers, and  a  host  of  families  of  emigrants;  and  as  the  com- 
pany advanced  to  the  wrest  we  met  many  people  going  to 
the  east.  They  were*  traveling  all  ways,  with  ox,  horse 
and  mule  teams,  as  well  as  by  pack  trains  of  horses  and 
mules;  while  some  were  floating  down  the  Platte  River  in 
small  row  boats. 

I  have  omitted  many  dates,  but  feel  that  I  must  say  that 
some  time  in  July  we  came  up  with  Captain  Horton  Haight, 
who  started  two  weeks  ahead  of  us,  with  a  Church  train  of 
seventy-five  wagons  of  freight.  Both  trains  passed  Fort 
Laramie  that  same  day.  Mine  camped  seven  miles  above 
the  fort  on  the  river,  where  we  laid  over  the  next  day,  and 
had  our  wagons  unloaded  and  thoroughly  cleaned  from  the 
dust  and  dirt;  then  they  were  reloaded  so  as  to  balance 
their  loading  anew.  All  sick  cattle  were  doctored,  while 
the  female  portion  of  camp  washed  and  did  considerable 
baking.  The  next  day  we  proceeded  on  to  the  Black  Hills, 
in  good  spirits,  the  people  generally  well  and  encouraged. 
The  road  then  began  to  be  rough  and  gravelly,  so  that  the 
cattle  began  to  get  sore-footed,  and  that  changed  the  tone 
of  feelings  of  some  of  the  people. 

We  went  on  in  peace  over  hills  and  dales  to  the  Sweet- 
water, thence  up  that  stream   to   what   was   called   the  last 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  4O3 

crossing,  where  we  stopped  one  day,  and  again  overhauled 
our  load,  doctored  sick  cattle,  baked,  etc.  From  there  we 
crossed  the  summit  of  the  great  Rocky  Mountains  to  Pacific 
Springs,  so  called  because  their  waters  flow  down  the 
Pacific  slope.  From  that  point  we  traveled  over  very  sandy 
plains  and  saleratus  deserts,  to  the  Little  Sandy,  then  to 
what  was  called  the  Big  Sandy,  and  thence  to  Green  River, 
the  last  hundred  miles  being  the  most  soul-trying  of  the 
whole  journey,  owing  to  being  sandy  and  poisonous  to  the 
stock.  N  We  traveled  day  and  night,  all  that  the  cattle  could 
endure,  and  in  fact  more  than  many  of  the  people  did  en- 
dure without  much  complaint  and  fault-finding. 

After  a  day's  rest  on  the  Green  River,  however,  and 
being  told  that  there  was  no  more  such  country  to  cross,  the 
train  entered  on  the  last  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  the 
journey,  crossing  over  to  Ham's  Fork,  then  to  Fort  Bridger 
on  Black's  Fork,  and  on  to  the  two  Muddys  and  to  Quak- 
ing Asp  Ridge,  the  highest  point  crossed  by  the  emigrant 
road.  From  there  we  went  down  into  Echo  Canyon,  then 
to  Weber  River,  crossed  it  and  over  the  foothills  to  East 
Canyon  Creek  and  to  the  foot:  of  the  Big  Mountain,  where 
we  met  Apostles  John  Taylor  and  F.  D.  Richards.  A  halt 
was  called  to  listen  to  the  hearty  welcome  and  words  of 
cheer  from  the  Apostles.  Then  the  company  passed  over 
the  Big  Mountain  to  the  foot  of  the  Little  Mountain,  where 
we  camped.  Many  of  the  people  were  sick  from  eating 
chokecherries  and  wild  berries  found  along  the  roadside. 

Next  day  we  proceeded  to  the  top  of  Little  Mountain. 
When  I  saw  the  last  wagon  on  the  summit,  I  left  the  ser- 
geant, G.  L.  Farrell,  in  charge,  and  went  ahead  to  report  the 
approach  of  my  company  and  their  condition,  as  there  were 
one  hundred  or  more  without  food  for  their  supper.  I 
called  first  on  General  H.  S.Eldredge,  and  took  dinner  with 
him.  He  received  me  very  kindly,  and  accompanied  me  to 
President   Brigham    ^Young's   office.     The  President   wel- 


4O4  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

corned  us  as  cordially  as  a  father  could.  After  he  had  in- 
quired and  was  told  the  condition  of  the  company,  he  sent 
word  to  Bishop  Edward  Hunter  to  have  the  tithing  yard 
cleared  for  the  cattle,  to  have  cooked  food  for  all  who  needed 
it,  and  to  have  the  company  camp  in  Union  Square. 

When  steps  had  been  taken  to  carry  out  these  orders, 
I  called  at  my  father-in-law's  in  the  Fourteenth  Ward,  where 
1  learned  that  my  family  were  well.  Then  I  went  back,  met 
the  company  on  the  bench  east  of  the  city,  and  conducted  it 
down  to  the  square,  where  we  found  Bishop  Hunter  and  a 
number  of  other  Bishops  and  people  of  the  several  wards, 
with  an  abundance  of  cooked  food  for  supper  and  breakfast 
for  the  whole  company.  Several  of  the  Twelve  Apostles 
were  on  the  ground  to  bid  the  company  a  hearty  welcome, 
and  delivered  short  addresses  of  good  cheer.  This  was 
August  29,  1859. 

Next  morning,  the  30th,  Orson  Hyde,  Orson  Pratt, 
Wilford  Woodruff,  Ezra  T.  Benson,  Charles  C.  Rich  and 
Erastus  Snow  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  Bishop  Hunter  and 
other  prominent  officers  of  the  Church,  came  to  the  camp, 
called  the  people  together,  and  again  bade  the  Saints  wel- 
come to  our  mountain  home.  They  advised  the  people 
where  to  go,  and  what  to  do  to  support  themselves  for  the 
winter. 

It  was  while  yet  on  the  Union  Square  that  Apostle 
Charles  C.  Rich  told  me  that  he  and  others  had  been  called 
to  take  a  mission  to  England,  leaving  home  in  the  spring, 
and  that  they  would  like  me  to  go  with  them;  he  thought  I 
had  better  shape  my  affairs  so  that  I  would  be  ready  for  the 
call. 

During  the  day  the  people  found  shelter  and  friends, 
and  I  reported  to  the  Dcscret  News  office  and  to  President 
Young,  who  told  me  I  was  honorably  released  from  any 
further  responsibility  for  the  company. 

On  our  journey  across  the  plains  we  had  two  deaths  in 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  405 

the  company,  and  five  births,  and  had  lost  twenty-five  head 
of  cattle — a  very  small  percentage  compared  with  losses  in 
general. 

After  the  interview  with  President  Young.  I  followed 
up  my  brother  Willis,  who  had  gone  ahead  with  our  team. 
We  stopped  that  night  at  Charles  C.  Rich's,  twelve  miles 
north  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  on  September  ist  reached  my 
home  in  Ogden  City,  where  we  found  all  well  and  pleased 
to  meet  us  again. 

At  Ogden  many  friends  and  relatives  called  to  see  us. 
In  a  day  or  two  after  our  arrival,  we  went  to  cutting  bul- 
rushes along  the  slough  on  the  bottom  lands,  with  a  scythe, 
that  being  the  only  chance  for  us  to  winter  our  stock.  In 
a  short  time  we  purchased  a  wagon  load  of  butter  and  eggs, 
and  took  it  to  Camp  Floyd,  forty  miles  southwest  of  Salt 
Lake  City.  We  made  a  good  profit  on  that  load,  then 
made  a  second  trip  and  had  stolen  from  us  one  of  our  mules 
worth  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

As  we  could  not  get  a  trace  of  the  mule,  Willis  re- 
turned to  the  city  to  get  another  animal,  so  we  could  move 
our  wagon.  About  12  o'clock  one  night,  while  he  was 
gone  and  I  was  sleeping  alone  in  the  wagon,  the  moon 
shining  bright  and  clear,  a  thief  cut  the  hind  end  of  the 
wagon  cover  open,  and  drew  out  one  of  the  quilts.  As  he 
was  taking  the  second  I  awoke  and  caught  him  in  the  act. 
I  asked  what  he  was  doing  there,  and  was  told  it  was  none 
of  my  business,  but  to  get  out  of  his  wagon,  or  he  would 
send  an  officer  after  me.  At  the  same  time  he  put  his  hand 
on  an  old  fashioned  United  States  holster  pistol  that  he  had 
in  his  belt,  then  staggered  off,  feigning  drunkenness.  I  saw 
that  he  went  into  a  corner  where  he  could  not  pass  out,  so 
I  hastened  and  called  the  landlord,  Mr.  Kinney,  a  man 
about  sixty  years  old,  and  told  him  what  had  happened. 
Said  he,  "If  he  went  in  there  he  cannot  get  through  that 
way."     He  peeped  into  a  dark  corner,  where  the  buildings 


406  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

were  so  close  that  a  man  could  not  squeeze  through.  "Here 
he  is;  come  out,  you  thief,"  said  he,  and  the  midnight  ma- 
rauder made  a  break  to  pass.  The  old  gentleman  struck 
at  him  as  he  went  by,  and  the  next  instant  I  had  him  by  the 
throat.  By  that  time  the  thief  had  got  his  pistol  disen- 
gaged from  his  belt,  but  before  he  could  turn  it  towards  me 
I  caught  it  from  his  grasp,  threw  him  heavily  on  the 
ground,  and  held  him  there  till  Mr.  Kinney  brought  an 
officer. 

Meanwhile  we  were  surrounded  by  half  a  dozen  gam- 
blers, one  of  whom  said  to  the  thief,  "What  are  you  doing 
down  there,  Rainbow?"  A  second  ordered  him  to  get  up. 
They  all  seemed  to  know  him,  but  all  were  strangers  to 
me.  I  had  passed  the  pistol  to  the  old  landlady,  who 
brought  it  out,  offered  it  to  the  officers,  and  told  them  she 
saw  the  thief  try  to  shoot  me  when  I  snatched  it  and  passed 
it  to  her.  At  that  the  thief  swore  the  weapon  was  not  his, 
but  mine,  and  that  I  had  drawn  it  to  shoot  him.  Then  the 
officers  told  me  to  keep  the  pistol,  and  they  let  the  thief  go 
to  a  saloon  in  a  gambling  house,  where  he  treated  the 
crowd,  and  told  them  that  he  had  an  engagement  for  a 
woman  to  meet  him  there  that  night,  but  he  found  a  man 
instead,  and  that  was  all  there  was  of  it.  At  that  the 
officers  liberated  him,  and  I  concluded  that  I  had  got  into  a 
den  of  thieves,  so  disposed  of  my  load  and  left  for  home  as 
soon  as  I  could.  All  the  profit  that  we  had  made  in  the 
first  trip  was  lost  in  the  second,  for  we  never  recovered  the 
mule. 

The  weather  being  cold,  we  threw  up  that  business 
and  took  a  contract  amounting  to  two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  on  the  Ogden  Canyon  road,  and  in  the  bitter  cold 
weather  of  winter  worked  till  the  job  was  completed.  That 
work  finished,  we  took  another  contract  to  get  out  timber 
for  the  first  county  jail  in  Weber  County,  andoitinued  to 
work  in  the  canyon  until  April  ist.     The  winter  had  been 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  4O7 

so  long  and  severe  that  we  sold  part  of  our  wearing  apparel 
and  bed  clothes  for  hay  10  keep  life  in  our  animals. 


CHAPTER  LV. 

■CALLED  ON  A  MISSION  TO  GREAT  BRITAIN— PREPARE  TO  DEPART— 
START  WITHOUT  PURSE  OR  SCRIP-JOURNEY  TO  SALT  LAKE  CITY 
—SET  APART  FOR  THE  MISSION— BEGIN  THE  JOURNEY  EASTWARD 
—ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  COMPANY— MY  POST  AS  CHAPLAIN- 
OVERTAKEN  BY  APOSTLES  A.  M.  LYMAN  AND  C.  C.  RICH— TRAVEL- 
ING THROUGH  THE  Mol  MAINS— SNOWSTORMS  AND  WIND— FOR- 
AGE  18  SCARCE— MEETINGS  WITH  THE  INDIANS— CAPTAIN  REY- 
NOLDS' EXPLORING  PARTY— ARM Y  DESERTERS  IN  OUR  CAMP- 
MAIL  FROM  IH  >ML— EMIGRANTS  WE8TWARD  BOUND— DISSATISFAC- 
TION IN  CAMP— FEELING  ABOUT  APOSTLES  LYMAN  AND  RICH— I 
RESIGN  AS  CAPTAIN,  RUT  AM  ELECTED  AGAIN,  AND  FINALLY  RE- 
3UME  COMMAND— MAIL  ROBBERY— MORE  DISAGREEABLE  STORMS 
—MEET  A  HANDCART  COMPANY,  AND  APOSTLE  GEORGE  Q.  CAN- 
NON—REACH  THE  MISSOURI  RIVER— VISIT  MY  FATHER  AND  HIS 
FAMILY-GO  TO  ST.  JOSEPH,  MISSOURI— MY  FIRST  VIEW  OF  A 
RAILWAY  TRAIN— AT  MY  OLD  HOME  IN  BROWN  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 
—JOURNEY  EASTWARD  BY  RAIL— ARRIVE  IN  NEW  YORK  FOR  THE 
FIRST  TIME— FIND  FRIENDS. 

r~^  OME  time  in  February  of  this  year  (i860),  I  received 
yj^  a  letter  from  President  Brigham  Young,  informing 
me  that  I  had  been  selected  to  accompany  Apostles  Amasa 
M.  Lyman  and  Charles  C.  Rich  on  a  mission  to  Great 
Britain,  starting  in  April.  The  letter  authorized  me  to  call 
on  Bishop  Chauncey  W.  West,  to  have  my  city  and  five- 
acre  lots  fenced  and  cultivated  by  labor  tithing,  for  the 
benefit  of  my  family;  also  for  the  Bishop  to  furnish  my 
family,  from  time  to  time,  with  such  necessary  articles  as 
they  needed  and  could  not  otherwise  obtain.  I  called  on 
the  Bishop  as  authorized,  and  showed  him  the  letter,  but 
the  work  he  was  called  on  for  never  was  done,  and  my 
family  suffered  in  consequence. 


408        .  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

I  settled  my  business  and  prepared  for  the  mission,  and 
in  April  attended  conference  in  Salt  Lake  City,  where  my 
name  was  presented  and  sustained  with  those  of  many 
others  called  to  perform  missions.  On  the  19th  of  April,  I 
blessed  my  family  and  bade  farewell  to  them  till  I  should 
be  released  from  the  duty  which  now  rested  upon  me  of 
preaching  the  Gospel  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  British 
Isles.  I  had  a  ham  and  a  few  articles  of  food,  a  light 
change  of  clothing,  and  my  rifle.  These  I  put  in  the  wagon 
of  H.  Hanson,  who  was  starting  to  Salt  Lake  City,  on  his- 
way  to  fill  a  mission  in  Denmark.  Then,  with  my  shot- 
pouch  and  a  new  pair  of  boots  across  my  shoulder,  I 
began  my  journey  from  Ogden,  intending  to  hunt  up  a 
yoke  of  cattle  I  had  on  the  range,  and  drive  them  to  Salt 
Lake  City.  Not  a  dollar  of  money  did  I  have — I  was 
entirely  without  purse  or  scrip.  I  found  my  cattle,  drove 
them  to  Salt  Lake  City,  turned  them  over  to  my  father-in- 
law,  Nathan  Tanner,  to  pay  a  debt  I  was  owing  and  to  ob- 
tain some  flour  for  food  on  my  journey,  and  I  was  ready  on 
April  20th,  the  date  appointed,  to  leave  on  my  mission. 
But  some  of  the  others  were  not  ready,  and  the  departure 
was  postponed  to  April  25th. 

On  the  last  named  date,  we  gathered  at  the  Church 
historian's  office  in  Salt  Lake  City,  to  be  set  apart  and  re- 
ceive instructions  for  our  missions.  President  Brigham 
Young  there  gave  us  counsel  never  to  be  forgotten,  and 
our  hearts  rejoiced  therein.  Each  of  us  received  a  certifi- 
cate of  our  missionary  appointment,  signed  by  the  First 
Presidency.  Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  and 
Daniel  H.  Wells.  We  were  then  instructed  to  meet  next 
day,  the  26th,  at  the  mouth  of  Parley's  Canyon,  and  to  pro- 
ceed therefrom  under  command  of  Joseph  W.  Young,  our 
baggage  being  hauled  by  teams  owned  by  the  Church  that 
were  going  to  Florence,  Nebraska. 

President  Young  had  designated  me  to  take  charge  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  4O9 

one  of  the  teams,  with  permission  to  leave  it  when  Apostles 
Lyman  and  Rich  overtook  us,  which  they  expected  to  do 
in  three  or  four  days.  Thus  I  had  in  my  care  four  yoke  of 
oxen  and  a  large  government  wagon;  and,  in  company 
with  several  others,  went  to  President  Young's  mill  south 
of  the  city.  We  took  on  from  a  thousand  to  twelve  hun- 
dred pounds  of  flour  to  each  wagon,  and  proceeded  to  the 
place  of  rendezvous,  where  there  were  gathered  thirty 
wagons,  with  about  forty  missionaries  and  the  Beebe  and 
Buzzard  families,  who  were  going  back  to  their  farms  in 
Iowa. 

On  April  17th,  Presidents  Young  and  Wells  came  out 
and  organized  the  company,  appointing  Joseph  W.  Young 
as  captain,  and  John  Woolley  as  sergeant  of  the  guard. 
Myself  and  two  others  were  selected  as  chaplains.  The 
company  was  instructed  as  to  necessary  duties  in  crossing 
the  plains,  and  we  started.  Our  route  was  up  Parley's 
Canyon,  then  down  Silver  Creek  to  the  Weber  River, 
thence  up  to  the  mouth  of  Chalk  Creek.  At  the  Spriggs 
coal  pit  a  number  of  us  visited  the  mine,  the  tunnels  of 
which  went  straight  into  the  mountain  side.  Then  we  pro- 
ceeded across  to  Bear  River,  and  followed  along  the  Big 
Muddy.  The  Beebe  and  Buzzard  families  and  E.  D. 
Woolley  and  company  continued  on  by  way  of  Fort 
Bridger,  while  the  rest  of  us  made  a  road  across  the  bend 
of  the  Muddy. 

Apostles  A.  M.  Lyman  and  C.  C.  Rich  overtook  us 
on  May  4th,  and  we  all  camped  together  that  night. 
Walter  M.  Gibson  and  I  w^ere  transferred  to  Samuel 
White's  wagon,  and  on  the  5th  we  bade  farewell  to  Joseph 
W.  Young's  company,  taking  an  early  leave  of  them,  and 
proceeded  to  Ham's  Fork,  on  which  we  camped  for  the 
night.  There  I  was  made  captain  of  the  company,  with 
John  Tobin  as  sergeant  of  the  guard,  and  W.   H.  Dame  as 

26 


4IO  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

chaplain.  Guards  were  placed  out  to  take  care  of  the  stock. 
That  night  there  was  quite  a  snowstorm. 

Next  morning,  the  weather  was  cold  and  disagreeable. 
We  made  our  way  to  Green  River,  where  we  met  some 
people  who  had  apostatized  from  the  Church,  and  were 
going  back  to  St.  Louis;  we  also  met  some  Shoshone  In- 
dians who  were  friendly.  We  camped  on  the  Big  Sandy 
that  night,  and  had  quite  a  hunt  for  our  animals,  which 
strayed  off  because  there  was  so  little  grass.  But  we  re- 
covered all  of  them. 

On  May  ioth  we  came  to  Pacific  Springs,  where  we 
met  Buzzard,  Beebe,  Woolley  and  company,  and  received 
them  into  our  company  without  any  change  in  organization. 
That  day  we  crossed  over  the  South  Pass  and  the  Sweet- 
water River,  and  camped  on  Willow  Creek.  Next  day  we 
went  through  a  number  of  snowdrifts,  passed  over  the 
Rocky  Ridge  and  to  the  Sweetwater,  following  along  the 
river.  That  night  we  met  a  party  of  Shoshone  Indians  re- 
turning from  a  fight  with  the  Crow  Indians.  The  follow- 
ing morning,  the  12th,  we  missed  part  of  our  animals,  and 
were  detained  till  11  o'clock  securing  them  again.  We  then 
moved  forward  on  our  journey,  and  on  the  13th,  at  the 
second  crossing  of  the  Sweetwater,  encountered  a  severe 
snowstorm. 

From  then  till  the  18th  the  wind  was  very  high,  and 
the  weather  disagreeable.  Grass  was  verj'  scarce.  On 
the  14th  we  met  a  band  of  Arapahoe  Indians  on  a  buffalo 
hunt,  and  on  the  15th  met  Captain  Reynolds  with  a  party 
of  explorers.  We  afterwards  heard  that  the  entire  party 
were  killed  by  Blackfeet  Indians,  on  the  headwaters  of  the 
Missouri  River.  On  the  18th,  as  we  were  traveling  down 
the  Platte  River,  Sergeant  Min,  with  a  small  party  of 
soldiers  from  Fort  Laramie,  searched  the  wagons  in  our 
company  for  three  deserters  from  Camp  Floyd.  There 
were  two  of  them  in  our  camp.     They  had  come  to  us  in 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  4II 

Parley's  Canyon,  saying  they  had  been  discharged.  One 
of  them.  George  Kelly,  showed  his  discharge  papers,  but 
he  had  re-enlisted,  and  deserted  after  receiving  his  bounty. 
The  other  was  a  servant  who  had  stolen  a  gold  watch.  His 
name  was  Alexander  Demster.  Both  were  taken  to  Fort 
Laramie. 

On  May  20th  we  arrived  within  seven  miles  of  Fort 
Laramie,  where  we  rested  our  animals  and  attended  to  nec- 
essary work  for  proceeding  farther.  We  also  built  a  raft 
and  went  across  to  the  fort  for  our  mail,  getting  a  few 
letters.  There  was  none  for  me.  We  wrote  to  our  families, 
and  on  the  22nd  again  moved  forward.  This  time  we  had 
two  other  discharged  soldiers  with  us;  one  of  them  had  a 
wife  and  child.  I  had  changed  from  Samuel  White's 
wagon  to  D.  Savage's,  and  drove  his  six-mule  team  most 
of  the  way.  From  the  23rd  on  we  met  many  people  bound 
for  California,  Oregon,  or  the  Pike's  Peak  gold  mines. 

We  passed  Chimney  Rock  on  May  25th,  and  rested 
that  evening  at  a  fair  camping  ground.  There  had  been 
some  dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of  owners  of  teams  because 
the  grass  had  been  short  and  the  animals  were  not  doing 
well.  Fault  was  found  with  the  camping  places,  and  as 
Apostles  Lyman  and  Rich  often  had  been  consulted  and 
had  suggested  the  location  for  camp,  these  prominent  mem- 
bers of  our  company  felt  that  if  there  were  any  blame  in 
making  the  choice  it  belonged  to  them.  So  the  Apostles 
asked  forgiveness  for  what  they  had  done,  and  promised 
they  would  have  no  more  to  do  with  directing  the  journey- 
ings  of  the  company.  When  I  found  that  I  was  deprived  of 
the  counsel  of  such  men,  I  resigned  my  office  as  captain. 
John  Tobin  also  resigned  as  sergeant  of  the  guard.  That 
night  was  passed  with  the  camp  in  a  disorganized  state,  and 
next  morning  there  was  no  one  to  lead  out  with  orders  to 
proceed.  The  team  owners  and  others  found  themselves 
well  puzzled,  and  began  to  realize  the  mistake  that  had  been 


412  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

made.  By  advice  of  Apostle  C.  C.  Rich,  I  called  the  com- 
pany together,  but  none  knew  what  to  do.  Finally,  Elder 
Rich  suggested  that  they  elect  as  captain  someone  they 
would  not  rind  so  much  fault  with.  The  vote  was  for  me, 
and  at  the  request  of  Elder  Rich  I  again  assumed  command, 
and  we  moved  on.  John  Brown  was  selected  as  sergeant  of 
the  guard. 

At  Ash  Hollow  we  learned  that  the  St.  Joseph  and 
Great  Salt  Lake  mail  coach  had  been  robbed  on  Grease- 
wood  Creek,  by  Shoshone  Indians,  and  that  the  mail  car- 
riers had  been  killed.  We  were  detained  at  Ash  Hollow 
several  hours  on  the  27th,  by  the  severe  illness  of  A.  Beebe's 
wife.  For  several  days  thereafter  there  were  high  winds, 
and  showers,  making  the  roads  very  disagreeable,  so  that  it 
took  us  till  May  31st  to  reach  Buffalo  Creek,  where  we 
saw  some  buffalo.  The  next  night  we  camped  ten  miles 
above  Fort  Kearney.  On  June  2nd  we  called  at  Dr.  Henry's 
ranch  for  dinner,  and  seven  miles  further  on  reached  the 
place  where  Joseph  E.  Johnson  and  his  brother  had  located, 
and  were  publishing  a  paper  called  the  Mountain  Echo.  At 
this  point  Nephi  Johnson  and  Daniel  Babbitt  left  us,  as  they 
had  reached  the  end  of  their  journey.  We  continued  on 
four  miles  further,  and  camped. 

/  Proceeding  on  our  journey,  we  reached  and  crossed  the 
Elkhorn  River  on  June  6th,  and  that  night  met  and  camped 
with  a  company  of  Latter-da}'  Saints  crossing  the  plains 
with  handcarts.  The  company  was  in  good  spirits,  and  glad 
to  see  us,  and  we  spent  the  evening  in  singing  the  songs  of 
Zion.  Just  as  we  had  gone  to  bed,  Apostle  George  Q.  Can- 
non; who  had  charge  of  the  Church  emigration  that  year, 
came  up,  in  company  with  Horton  Haight  and  others,  and 
we  were  glad  to  arise  and  shake  hands  with  him.  He  was  a 
particular  friend  and  brother  with  whom  several  of  us  had 
traveled  many  miles  and  spent  many  pleasant  hours.  After 
a  long  talk  Elder  Cannon  turned  in  with  me  for  sleep. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  413 

On  the  morning  of  June  7th,  the  members  of  the  hand- 
cart company  were  called  together,  and  Apostles  Lyman 
and  Rich  gave  them  some  good  instructions.  Then  we 
bade  them  good-bye,  and  proceeded  to  Florence,  where  we 
met  many  warm-hearted  Saints  from  Europe.  On  the  8th, 
1  procured  a  span  of  mules  from  Horton  Haight,  and  a  car 
riage  from  George  Q.  Cannon,  and  accompanied  by  J.  C. 
Rich,  crossed  the  Missouri  River  to  Calhoun,  Harrison 
County.  Iowa,  where  we  met  with  my  father  and  his  family. 
They  were  well,  and  greatly  pleased  to  see  me.  We  visited 
with  my  relatives  till  the  nth,  when  J.  C.  Rich  and  I  parted 
at  Crescent  City,  while  I  returned  to  Florence,  where  my 
father  visited  me  on  the  12th,  and  invited  Apostles  Lyman 
and  Rich  and  myself  to  take  dinner  at  the  finest  hotel  in 
the  town,  which  we  did.  My  father  promised  me  there  that 
if  he  lived  and  was  able  to  sell  his  property,  he  would  ac- 
company me  to  Utah  when  I  returned  from  my  mission. 

On  ]une  15th.  I  went  to  Omaha  in  company  with  J.  C. 
Rich,  F.  M.  Lyman,  and  R.  McBride,  where  we  were 
joined  next  day  by  A.  M.  Lyman,  C.  C.  Rich,  G.  Q.  Can- 
non, and  John  Tobin.  We  took  passage  on  the  steamboat 
Omaha  for  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where  we  landed  on  the 
morning  of  the  18th.  That  day  while  strolling  through  the 
city  with  Francis  M.  Lyman,  I  first  saw  a  locomotive  and 
railway  train  in  motion.  It  was  to  us  a  grand  sight,  and  we 
viewed  it  with  admiration  and  satisfaction.  At  6  a.  m..  on 
the  19th,  we  boarded  the  train,  C.  C.  Rich,  J.  C.  Rich  and 
John  Tobin  going  to  St  Louis,  and  the  rest  of  us  to  Quincy, 
Illinois,  where  I  left  the  party  and  went  to  Versailles,  Brown 
County.  There  I  received  a  hearty  welcome  from  rela- 
tives and  friends. 

I  remained  in  that  locality  five  days,  until  the  24th, 
visiting  uncles,  brother-in-law,  cousins,  and  other  relatives, 
and  also  the  farm  on  which  I  was  reared.  At  Versailles, 
on  the  evening  of  the   21st,   I   lectured,  by   request,   on  my 


414 


LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


travels  and  experiences.  The  schoolroom  being  too  small 
to  accommodate  the  people,  the  Methodist  church  was  pro- 
cured, and  was  well  filled,  many  of  the  audience  being  my 
old  schoolmates.  They  were  glad  to  meet  me,  as  I  was  to 
meet  them. 

I  stayed  that  night  with  Joseph  F.  Vandeventer,  and 
next  day,  in  company  with  him  and  his  brother  Thomas, 
visited  my  father's  old  farm,  then  owned  by  William  Knox. 
There  were  many  changes  about  the  place.  The  cemetery 
was  fenced  into  a  pasture,  and  I  was  unable  to  find  my 
brother's  grave.  The  fruit  trees  in  the  orchard  were  well 
grown,  and  I  was  given  some  good  apples  and  the  best  cider 
I  ever  tasted,  made  from  fruit  from  trees  I  had  set  out  with 
my  own  hands. 

That  day's  wralk  brought  to  my  recollection  my  youth- 
ful days,  my  hunts  through  the  woods  and  my  adventures, 
my  toilsome  labors  in  grubbing  underbrush  and  clearing 
the  land,  threshing  wheat  in  the  hot,  autumn  sun,  feeding 
stock  in  the  cold  winter,  my  cold  fingers,  benumbed  body, 
and  frozen  toes — once  shedding  my  toenails  through  frost, 
and  peeling  the  skin  off  my  feet — in  short,  I  was  reminded 
of  much  toil  on  the  part  of  my  parents,  brothers  and  sisters 
and  myself,  and  of  many  days  of  sickness  with  fever  and 
ague.  We  returned  to  Versailles,  and  next  evening,  the 
23rd,  after  more  visiting,  I  consented  to  preach,  and  was 
given  good  attention  by  a  large  congregation.  On  the  24th, 
I  went  down  to  the  river  landing  at  the  mouth  of  Crooked 
Creek,  with  my  uncle  and  Joseph  F.  Vandeventer,  but 
learning  that  the  boats  were  uncertain,  I  resolved  to  go  to 
Meridotia  and  there  take  train  for  New  York,  in  order  to 
meet  Elder  C.  C.  Rich.  To  do  this,  it  was  necessary  for 
me  to  borrow  twenty  dollars,  which  I  d.id  of  Mr.  Vande- 
venter. At  9  o'clock  that  evening  I  was  on  my  way,  on 
the  Quincy  and  Toledo  line,  passing  through  the  great 
Wabash  valley.     After  several  changes  of  cars,  and  cross- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  415 

ing  North  River  on  a  ferry  boat.  I  landed  in  New  York 
City  on  June  26th,  without  knowing  a  soul  that  lived  there. 
I  walked  up  to  Broadway,  and  took  a  Sixth  Avenue 
omnibus  to  Twenty-third  Street,  where  I  found  the  resi- 
dence of  Brother  Jonas  Croxall,  and  introduced  myself  to 
his  wife,  as  he  was  not  at  home.  I  had  eaten  but  two 
meals  since  I  got  into  the  cars  at  Meridotia,  and  they  cost 
me  seventy-five  cents.  I  had  ridden  over  one  thousand 
miles  on  the  cars  from  Illinois,  and  had  ninety-five  cents 
when  I  reached  the  end  of  the  journey.  My  supper  that 
night  was  provided  at  Brother  CroxalFs.  About  11  o'clock 
in  the  evening  Brothers  Croxall  and  A.  M.  Lyman  came  in, 
they  having  been  on  a  visit  together  at  Brother  Schettler's. 


CHAPTER    LVI. 

VISIT  VARIOUS  PLACES  OF  INTEREST  IX  NEW  YORK  AND  VICINITY— 
ARRIVAL  OF  THE  GREAT  EASTERN— PREACH  AT  WILLIAMSBURG— 
NEW    YORK'S  CELEBRATION  OF  THE  FOURTH— MY  THIRTY-SECOND 

BIRTHDAY ECTJRE   PASSPORTS  AND  OCEAN    PASSAGE— CROWDED 

IN  THE  STEERAGE— FOGGY  AND  WET  WEATHER— VIEW  OP  THE 
IRISH  <  OAST— FLEET  OF  BRITISH  WARSHIPS— LAND  IN  LI\  ERPOOL 
-ASSIGNED  TO  BIRMINGHAM  CONFERENCE— IN  BIRMINGHAM- 
LISTEN  T«  I  \N  WTI-.Mi  )RMoN  LE<  IT  RE— VISITING  FROM  HOUSE  TO 
HOUSE  AS  AMORMON  MISSIONARY— PLACES  OF  INTEREST— TRANS- 
FERRED TO  NOTTINGHAM  CONFERENCE— PREACHING  AND  VISIT- 
ING—MISSION TRAVELS— GO  TO  LONDON-SEE  NOTABLE  PLACES- 
NEWS  OF  MY  DAUGHTER'S  DEATH— KIRTH  OF  ANOTHER 
DAUGHTER— RETURN  TO  NOTTINGHAM. 

THE  27th  of  June  was  spent  with  Apostle  A.  M.  Lyman 
and  J.  Croxall,  walking  about  the  city  of  New  York. 
That  day  F.  M.  Lyman  and  Reuben  McBride  arrived,  and  next 
day  Apostle  Lyman  and  his  son  Francis  M.  left  for  Boston. 
With  Reuben  McBride,  I  visited  the   various   departments 


416  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

of  the  place  where  J.  Croxall  and  his  son  worked.  We 
then  crossed  East  River  with  Thomas  Miller,  and  strolled 
through  Williamsburg.  We  were  introduced  to  a  Brother 
Stone  and  family,  with  whom  we  stayed  all  night.  On  the 
29th  we  were  made  acquainted  with  many  Latter-day  Saints 
in  Williamsburg,  then  crossed  over  to  Brooklyn,  where  we 
went  through  the  navy  yard  and  other  places;  at  the  first 
named  place  we  went  on  board  the  old  ship  of  war  North 
Carolina.  That  day  we  heard  the  salutes  fired  for  the 
Great  Eastern,  as  she  steamed  up  the  wharf  in  New  York 
The  ocean  monster  was  hailed  with  joy  and  enthusiasm. 
She  had  been  sighted  at  sea  the  evening  before. 

In  New  York  City,  on  the  30th,  we  visited  Barnum's 
museum,  Castle  Garden,  the  postoffice,  and  had  a  view  of 
the  Great  Eastern.  I  received  a  letter  from  my  family  re- 
porting all  well.  The  1st  of  July  was  Sunday,  and  we  met 
with  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  Williamsburg.  The  speakers 
at  the  meetings  that  day  were  Apostle  C.  C.  Rich,  Elder 
Walter  Gibson  and  myself.  I  crossed  over  to  New  York 
that  night,  and  the  remainder  of  our  stay  in  the  city  was 
the  guest  of  Bernard  A.  Schettler,  who  treated  me  very 
kindly.  During  the  next  few  days  we  visited  many  factories, 
ships  and  places  of  interest,  and  wrote  letters  home.  On 
the  4th,  which  was  my  thirty-second  birthday  anniversary, 
there  was  a  grand  celebration.  The  militia  of  New  York 
City  paraded,  passing  the  George  Washington  monument 
in  review.  There  was  a  grand  fireworks  displav  in  the 
evening;  and  in  the  afternoon  we  witnessed  the  aeronaut, 
Mr.  Wise,  ascend  out  of  sight  with  a  balloon.  On  the  9th 
we  sent  to  Washington  for  our  passports.  W.  H.  Dame 
and  I  were  appointed  on  the  12th  to  take  the  money  of  our 
party,  secure  berths  en  the  steamship  Edinburgh,  of  the 
Blackball  line  between  New  York  and  Liverpool,  and  to 
purchase  articles  necessary  for  the  journey  across  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.     We  attended  to  this  duty  on  the  13th. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  417 

July  14th.  our  party,  thirteen  in  number,  went  on  board, 
and  at  12  o'clock  noon,  the  vessel  left  the  landing.  We 
paid  twenty-live  dollars  each  for  steerage  passage.  There 
were  nearly  three  hundred  passengers,  and  the  berths  were 
all  taken  up,  so  our  lot  was  rather  hard.  Being  very  much 
crowded  for  room  as  well,  it  was  plain  that  our  part  of  the 
voyage  was  not  to  be  very  pleasant;  but  we  were  on  board 
and  had  to  make  the  best  of  it. 

By  the  iSth  we  were  off  the  banks  of  Newfoundland, 
in  a  dense,  damp  fog,  that  obscured  the  sun  and  made  it 
impossible  to  see  more  than  a  few  rods  from  the  ship.  The 
steam  siren  kept  up  a  constant  whistling,  to  warn  other 
vessels  of  our  location  and  approach.  The  fog  lasted  till 
the  23rd,  when  it  lighted  up,  but  the  weather  wa?  cloudy, 
with  some  rain.     On  the  24th  a  vessel  bore  in  sight. 

Next  day  we  had  headwinds,  and  the  sun  shone  for  a 
short  time.  We  came  in  si^ht  of  the  southwest  coast  of 
Ireland,  and  at  the  cry  of  ''Land!"  everv  countenance 
brightened.  All  were  on  deck  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
welcome  scene.  As  this  proceeding  was  going  on,  we 
heard  the  cry,  "Sail  ho!"  and  in  a  short  time  there  came 
into  full  view  a  fleet  of  her  majesty  Queen  Victoria's  war- 
ships, eleven  in  number.  They  were  steaming  along  the 
coast  to  the  south  and  in  advance  of  us.  Suddenly  they 
changed  their  course  and  came  to  meet  us.  When  they 
drew  near,  their  signal  flags  were  hoisted  on  the  masts, 
making  a  beautiful  and  imposing  appearance. 

(JThat  night  at  11  o'clock  we  ran  into  Queenstown.  the 
harbor  of  Cork,  Ireland.  There  some  passengers  for  Ire- 
land, and  mail  were  taken  off,  and  we  headed  for  the  coast  of 
England,  coming  in  sight  of  Wales  the  next  day. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  27th  we  were  on  the 
muddy,  dark  waters  of  the  Mersey,  and  soon  landed  in 
Liverpool,  where  the  dank,  smoky,  mildewed  walls  looked 
to  us  as  if  they  had   stood  for  a  thousand  years.     To   our 


418  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

eyes  the  city  had  a  very  dismal  and  forbidding  appear- 
ance. 

After  the  usual  custom  house  inspection,  we  sent  our 
baggage  to  the  Latter-day  Saints'  office  at  42  Islington, 
and  walked  there  ourselves,  a  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half. 
At  the  office  we  met  Elder  N.  V.  Jones  and  others,  who 
received  us  very  kindly.  The  following  day  we  were 
appointed  to  our  various  missionary  fields,  J.  C.  Rich  and  I 
being  assigned  to  Birmingham  pastorate.  That  afternoon 
Elder  Rich  and  I  paid  a  visit  to  Birkenhead,  across  the 
river  Mersey,  and  met  with  some  of  the  Saints. 

Sunday,  July  29th,  we  all  attended  meeting  with 
the  Liverpool  Saints,  in  their  assembly  room  on  Great 
George's  Street.  Next  day,  Elder  Rich  and  I  took  train 
for  Birmingham,  passing  through  a  tunnel  a  mile  and  a  half 
long  on  the  route.  Arriving  at  New  Street  station,  Bir- 
mingham, we  hailed  a  cab  and  were  taken  to  No.  163  Bur- 
ton Place,  Spring  Hill.  There  we  had  expected  to  find 
Elder  Charles  W.  Penrose,  but  he  was  not  at  home.  His 
sister-in-law  met  us,' and  seemed  surprised  at  our  call.  I 
told  her  who  we  were,  and  we  received  a  rather  mistrustful 
invitation  to  come  in;  but  after  questioning  us  some  she 
became  satisfied  of  our  identity,  and  provided  us  with  some- 
thing to  eat. 

Later,  F.  G.  Blake,  who  was  traveling  Elder  in  that 
place,  came  in,  and  we  took  a  walk  with  him,  meeting 
Elder  Penrose.  We  all  went  to  West  Bromwich  that  even- 
ing, and  heard  one  Mr.  Bird,  an  old  apostate  from  Utah, 
lecture  against  the  Mormons.  He  was  doing  this  for 
money,  and  the  large  hall  was  full  of  people.  He  made 
many  false  accusations  against  the  Latter-day  Saints,  which 
were  loudly  applauded  by  his  ignorant  hearers.  After  the 
lecture  we  returned  to  Birmingham,  and  stayed  all  night  at 
Elder  Penrose's. 

To  us,  Birmingham  seemed  as  dark,  smokey  and  mil- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  4I9 

dewed  as  did  Liverpool;  but  it  was  well  located.  The 
place  was  one  of  the  busiest  manufacturing  centers  of  the 
world.  The  railway  lines  passing  through  do  not  obstruct 
or  occupy  the  streets;  on  one  of  the  roads,  which  is  built 
on  a  series  of  arches,  the  cars  run  level  with  the  chimneys 
on  three-story  houses;  and  other  roads  pass  beneath  the 
city,  running  under  large  houses.  The  New  Street  station 
was  one  of  the  best  and  most  commodious  I  have  ever 
seen;  indeed  it  is  now  one  of  the  largest  in  the  world,  oc- 
cupying eleven  acres,  with  a  fine  iron  and  glass  roof  eleven 
hundred  feet  long. 

After  visiting  from  house  to  house  with  the  Saints  on 
August  1st,  we  preached  that  evening  in  the  Oxford  Street 
Hall.  Next  day  our  visiting  continued,  and  we  found  a 
dull  spirit  among  the  people.  Trade  was  very  bad,  and  the 
working  people  were  extremely  poor.  Many  of  them  were 
unable  to  give  us  a  good  meal  of  victuals  unless  they  suf- 
fered themselves  in  consequence;  yet  they  seemed  very 
kind  to  us,  but  sluggish  in  spirit.  That  night  we  preached 
in  Hockley  Chapel,  Farm  Street. 

On  the  3rd  we  visited  the  different  markets  in  the  city; 
on  the  4th  met  Elders  A.  M.  Lyman,  C.  C.  Rich  and  N. 
V.  Jones;  and  on  the  5th  were  with  the  Saints  in  conference 
in  the  Odd  Fellows'  Hall,  where  large  congregations  assem- 
bled. The  presidents  of  the  branches  in  the  Birmingham 
conference  made  favorable  reports,  and  the  Gospel  was 
preached  by  Apostles  Lyman  and  Rich  and  others  of  the 
Elders.  That  night  J.  C.  Rich  and  I  stayed  at  Brother 
Acock's.  It  did  not  seem  possible  to  get  the  people  into 
the  notion  of  going  to  bed  before  midnight;  that  seeming 
to  be  the  custom  in  the  English  cities. 

The  Gillott  steel  and  gold  pen  factory  was  the  object 
of  an  interesting  visit  by  J.  C.  Rich,  F.  G.  Blake  and  my- 
self on  August  6th.  We  passed  through  the  factory,  and 
saw  the  work  from  rolling  the  large  bars  of  steel  down  to 


420  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

finishing  the  pen  ready  for  use;  there  were  four  hundred 
persons  employed  in  the  factory.  That  evening  the  Elders 
met  in  council,  and  J.  C.  Rich  and  I  were  appointed  to 
labor  in  the  Nottingham  pastorate.  Next  day,  in  company 
with  several  others,  I  visited  the  grave  of  Elder  James  H. 
Flanagan,  who  died  while  on  a  mission;  his  body  was 
interred  in  the  old  Birmingham  cemetery.  In  the  evening 
we  had  a  pleasant  sociable  at  the  home  of  Brother  Smith, 
and  next  day  J.  C.  Rich  and  I  took  the  train  for  Notting- 
ham, where  we  were  met  at  the  station  by  Elder  Edward 
Reid,  president  of  the  conference,  and  were  conducted  to 
No.  24  Promenade,  Robinhood  Street,  where  the  wife  of 
Elder  David  John  had  dinner  waiting  for  us.  We  next 
went  to  Radcliffe  Chapel,  where  we  met  with  a  goodly 
number  of  Saints,  and  preached  to  them.  Elder  David 
John  presided  over  the  Nottingham  pastorate.  The  day 
after  reaching  the  town  I  took  a  severe  cold,  and  had  to 
lay  by  the  next  day. 

We  found  Nottingham  a  very  different  place  to  Liver- 
pool and  Birmingham.  The  town  and  adjacent  country 
were  not  so  smoky  and  unhealthful.  The  town  had  about 
one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  inhabitants,  and  was  the 
center  of  the   silk   and   cotton   lace  and   hosiery  industries. 

On  Sunday,  August  12th,  Elders  A.  M.  Lyman  and 
N.  V.  Jones  (who  had  come  from  Liverpool)  and  I  preached 
to  the  Saints;  on  the  13th  J.  C.  Rich  and  I  went  to  visit 
G.  Wrright,  at  the  request  of  his  niece  who  lived  in  Utah: 
his  home  was  at  Fisherton,  on  the  river  Trent,  and  after  an 
unwelcome  greeting  there  we  returned  to  Nottingham. 
Next  day  we  went  to  Mansfield  with  Elder  James  Payne, 
passing  through  the  place  where  Robin  Hood  roamed. 
That  evening  we  preached  to  the  Saints,  then  spent  the 
next  two  days  preaching  in  different  villages.  At  Pixton, 
on  the  16th,  we  visited  a  coal  pit. 

Leicester,  the  county  seat  of  Leicestershire,  and  center 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  42 1 

of  the  boot  and  shoe  trade,  was  our  destination  on  August 
19th.  We  preached  there  that  night,  and  on  Monday  vis- 
ited the  museum.  The  rest  of  the  week  we  spent  in  visit- 
ing and  preaching  in  several  villages,  then  returned  to 
Nottingham.  At  Loughborough,  on  the  22nd,  our  meeting 
was  disturbed  by  several  rude  young  men.  who  laughed 
and  asked  questions  in  an  offensive  manner.  A  stone  was 
hurled  through  the  window  at  me,  while  I  was  preaching. 
It  passed  just  in  front  of  me,  but  no  one  was  hit.  The 
meeting  was  dismissed  in  confusion. 

On  the  26th.  we  went  to  Derby  for  a  couple  of  days. 
My  health  continued  to  be  very  poor  during  this  period  of 
my  travels.  Burton-on-Trent,  a  place  noted  for  the  brew- 
ing of  malt  liquors,  was  visited  on  the  28th,  and  that  night 
I  preached  at  Branston,  then  stayed  at  the  house  of  a  chim- 
ney-sweep named  Doman.  He  had  been  in  the  Church 
nineteen  years.  Next  day  we  preached  in  the  pottery  dis- 
trict, then  returned  to  Derby,  where,  on  the  31st.  we  went 
through  Fox  &  Company's  shot  factory,  going  to  the  top 
of  the  tower,  two  hundred  and  twenty  steps.  That  even- 
ing we  went  to  a  theatre. 

During  the  first  part  of  September,  I  traveled  and 
preached,  visiting  Nottingham,  Derby.  Belper  and  several 
adjacent  villages.  I  attended  the  Derby  races  on  the  6th; 
there  were  about  twenty  thousand  people  in  attendance. 
On  the  1 2th,  I  left  Nottingham  for  London  in  company 
with  Brothers  J.  C.  Rich  and  Blackburn,  and  Sister  Cook 
and  daughter,  going  via  the  Midland  railway.  From  St. 
Pancras  station  we  went  to  Brother  John  Cook's,  at  No.  30 
Florence  Street,  Cross  Street,  Islington,  London,  where  I 
made  my  home  during  my  stay  in  the  metropolis.  There 
we  met  with  Elders  John  Brown,  F.  M.  Lyman,  and  John 
Gleason. 

I  remained  in  London  and  vicinity  until  October  3rd. 
During  our  stay  at  the  national  capital  we   visited  many  in- 


42  2  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

teresting  places,  among  them  being  the  tunnel  under  the 
Thames,  which  is  reached  by  a  flight  of  one  hundred  steps, 
is  four  hundred  yards  from  end  to  end,  and  while  we  were 
passing  through  there  were  some  fifteen  to  twenty  ships 
lying  above  it,  and  steamboats  passing  over  it  up  and  down 
the  river.  We  visited  the  British  hospitals  for  invalided 
soldiers  and  sailors,  and  went  from  there  to  Greenwich, 
whence  is  measured  longitude  east  and  west,  and  where  we 
also  saw  the  standard  weights  and  measures  of  Great 
Britain. 

The  British  Museum;  the  King's  Library;  Westmin- 
ster Abbey,  where  Great  Britain's  rulers  are  anointed  and 
crowned  by  the  archbishops  of  the  Church  of  England; 
the  Parliament  buildings,  wherein  are  the  House  of  Lords 
and  House  of  Commons,  with  the  throne  and  the  woolsack; 
Buckingham  Palace,  the  city  residence  of  Queen  Victoria; 
St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  which  was  undergoing  repairs; 
National  Gallery;  Cattle  Market;  Zoological  Gardens,  with 
the  giraffe,  the  hippopotamus,  the  rhinoceros  and  all  man- 
ner of  beasts  and  birds;  South  Kensington  Museum;  Hyde 
Park;  White  Tower  of  London,  where  are  the  block  and 
ax  used  in  beheading  Queen  Anne  Boleyn  and  Mary, 
Queen  of  Scots,  also  the  royal  regalia,  and  much  other 
material  of  historic  value;  London  Bridge,  with  its  vast 
traffic;  Crystal  Palace  with  its  tower  four  hundred  and 
twelve  steps  to  the  top,  from  which  can  be  seen  six  counties 
of  England ;  Anatomical  Museum  ;  Madame  Tussaud's 
Bazar;  the  Dockyards,  and  the  rich  residence  portion  of 
London,  all  were  visited  by  us,  and  were  very  interesting 
and  entertaining. 

On  September  13th  we  attended  a  tea  party  of  the 
Saints  near  King's  Cross  station.  Several  times  I  preached 
to  congregations,  both  on  the  Surrey  side  of  the  Thames, 
and  on  the  north  side.  On  the  14th,  Elders  A.  M.  Lyman 
and  N.  V.  Jones  came  from  Scotland  to  London.  I  received 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JAMES  S.  BROWN.        423 

a  letter  from  home  on  the  25th,  Tuesday,  bringing  the  sad 
intelligence  of  the  death  of  Deseret  Ann,  my  second 
daughter,  also  of  the  birth  to  her  mother,  my  wife  Rebecca, 
of  a  daughter.  I  wrote  an  answer  to  that  letter  the  same 
day.  During  the  time  I  was  in  London  I  had  a  severe 
cold  and  my  health  was  far  from  good.  I  returned  to  Not- 
tingham on  October  3rd,  via  the  Great  Northern  railway, 
and  resumed  my  missionary  labors  in  that  conference. 


CHAPTER  LV1I. 

AGAIN  AT  MISSIONARY  LABORS— BAPTISMS— BECOME  QUITE  ILL— AP- 
POINTED PRESIDENT  OF  THE  NOTTINGHAM  DISTRICT,  EMBRACING 
THREE  CONFERENCES— VISITED  BY   AP08TLES  A.    M.  LYMAN,  C.  C. 

RICH    AND    OTHER SETTLING     DIFFERENCES     AMONG   CHURCH 

MEMBERS-ATTEND  A  PHRENOLOGICAL  LECTURE— GET  A  CHART 
-GO  TO  LIVERPOOL— IN  CONFERENCE  AT  NOTTINGHAM— MY  PAS- 
TORATE ENLARGED— WITNESS  A  MILITARY  REVIEW— MORE  BAP- 
TISMS—VISIT  SHEFFIELD— FIXING  MY  NAME— POVERTY  IN  NOT- 
TINGHAM-INVITED TO  TAKE  A  TRIP  TO  PARIS— GO  TO  LONDON- 
HAVE  TO  GIVE  UP  THE  VISIT  TO  FRANCE— IN  POOR  HEALTH- 
RETURN  TO  NOTTINGHAM— SEE  PROFESSOR  BLONDIN. 

THE  month  of  October  was  occupied  in  traveling  and 
preaching  in  the  district  where  I  was  assigned  to 
labor  as  a  missionary.  In  fulfilling  this  calling  I  visited,  be- 
sides the  town  of  Nottingham,  which  was  headquarters, 
Derby, Leicester,  Burton-on-Trent,Radcliffe,  Arnold,  Huck- 
nall,  Mansfield,  Pixton,  Ilkiston,  Woodhouse,  Wirksworth, 
Mount  St.  Bernard,  Tutbury  and  other  places,  preaching  in 
some  of  them  several  times.  On  October  23,  I  visited  the 
Mount  Saint  Bernard  monastery,  and  a  reformatory  for  in- 
corrigible boys.  The  first  named  was  a  Catholic  institu- 
tion. 

November  was  occupied  similarly   to   October,  and  in 


424  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

addition  to  most  of  the  places  visited  in  the  last  named 
month,  I  was  at  Belper,  Carlton,  Coalville  and  other  small 
towns.  On  the  nth  I  baptized  three  young  women,  Annie 
Simpson,  Harriet  Cadman  and  Eliza  Bates.  The  weather 
turning  cold  and  stormy,  my  health  was  not  very  good. 
Apostle  C.  C.  Rich  came  on  the  24th  and  on  the  28th  we 
went  to  Sutton,  where  I  had  to  stop  for  several  days,  I  was 
so  ill. 

The  month  of  December  had  some  very  cold  and 
stormy  weather,  but  my  health  was  somewhat  improved. 
I  continued  in  my  missionary  district,  going  to  several  new 
places.  I  wras  invited  by  Sisters  Underwood  and  Burrows 
to  take  dinner  on  Christmas.  Mr.  Burrows  was  a  police- 
man, and  was  not  a  member  of  the  Church.  I  stayed  with 
him  at  his  home  on  Christmas  night.  The  next  evening 
we  had  a  meeting  in  Radcliffe,  at  which  an  unpleasant 
spirit  was  displayed  by  some.  I  advised  the  Saints  to 
fast  and  pray  to  get  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  Brother 
John  was  offended  with  this  advice,  and  remonstrated,  and 
when  the  meeting  was  dismissed  there  was  a  feeling  of  dis- 
satisfaction among  the  people.  On  the  30th  of  December 
I  was  appointed  to  the  presidency  of  the  Nottingham  pas- 
torate, embracing  the  Nottingham,  Derby  and  Leicester 
conferences  of  the  Church.  I  was  quite  ill  at  this  time, 
with  the  mumps.  My  appointmemt  came  from  Apostles 
A.  M.  Lyman,  C.  C.  Rich  and  George  Q.  Cannon,  the 
presidency  of  the  European  mission  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

The  opening  of  the  year  1861  found  me  quite  ill,  and 
for  the  first  few  days  of  January  I  was  confined  to  my  bed 
most  of  the  time.  On  the  6th  we  held  conference  in  Not- 
tingham, and  on  the  evening  before,  Elders  A.  M.  Lyman, 
C.  C.  Rich,  G.  Gates,  J.  Gleason,  C.  Welsh,  A.  Orme  and 
H.  Druce  came  to  meet  with  us.  We  had  a  good  time  at 
the  conference.       Elders    A.   M.    Lyman   and   C.  C.  Rich 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  425 

staved  with  us  till  the  nth,  and  I  visited  part  of  the  time 
with  them,  going  to  various  villages  in  the  neighborhood, 
where  they  preached.  During  the  remainder  of  the  month 
I  traveled  and  preached  and  attended  to  the  conference 
books  and  business  generally.  Brother  David  John  came 
to  me  on  the  28th,  being  very  sorry  for  the  unpleasant  re- 
marks he  had  made,  and  we  settled  matters  satisfactorily 
to  both,  parting  with  the  best  of  feelings.  The  next  day 
he  and  his  family  moved  to  South  Wales.  My  health  con- 
tinued to  be  quite  poor.  On  the  30th  I  took  a  shock  from 
an  electric  battery,  hoping  it  would  do  me  some  good. 

My  health  was  not  much  improved  during  the  month 
of  February;  but  I  continued  my  missionary  visits  and 
other  duties,  writing  to  my  father  and  family,  and  endeav- 
oring to  carry  the  Gospel  message  wherever  I  could.  On 
the  13th.  at  the  urgent  request  of  Sister  Mary  Wilson,  I 
visited  her  parents  and  sick  sister  at  Newark,  being  kindly 
received  and  invited  to  call  again.  From  the  19th  to  the 
23rd,  Elder  C.  C.  Rich  paid  a  visit  to  the  conference  and 
preached  to  the  people. 

On  March  2nd  I  attended  a  meeting  called  at  Pinxton 
to  settle  a  difficulty  among  some  of  the  members  of  the 
Church.  It  had  continued  about  three  years,  but  after  a 
long  meeting  we  succeeded  in  arranging  matters,  and  three 
of  the  parties  concerned  agreed  to  repent  and  be  baptized. 
My  visits  to  the  various  branches  continued.  On  the  6th  I 
baptized  Wm.  Burton,  Miss  Cadman  and  Miss  Betts.  On 
the  1 2th  I  was  associated  in  the  confirmation  of  twelve  per- 
sons who  had  been  baptized  by  Elder  J.  C.  Rich  the  even- 
ing before.  On  the  25th  of  this  month  I  attended  one  of 
the  Fowler  and  Wells  lectures  on  phrenology,  and  was  so 
interested  that  on  the  28th  I  obtained  a  phrenological  chart 
of  myself. 

I  attended  a  tea  party  on  April  1st,  about  two  hun- 
dred persons  being  present.     The  evening  was  spent  pleaa- 

27 


426  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

antly,  in  singing,  reciting  and  speech-making  and  partaking 
of  lunch.  The  next  day  I  baptized  seven  persons  at  Notting- 
ham. In  the  course  of  my  missionary  duties,  I  called  a 
meeting  of  the  Mansfield  branch  on  April  9,  to  settle  a  dif- 
ficulty of  long  standing.  I  released  from  performing  any 
Church  official  duties  all  who  held  the  Priesthood,  because 
of  continual  jarring  and  contention  among  them.  On  the 
18th  I  went  with  some  emigrating  Saints  to  Liverpool,  to 
assist  them,  settling  their  business  and  getting  their  tickets. 

At  Liverpool,  on  the  19th,  I  accompanied  Apostle  C. 
C.  Rich  on  a  search  among  the  docks  for  a  ship  that  could 
be  chartered,  but  we  were  not  successful  in  finding  one.  The 
next  day  the  Saints  went  on  board  the  ship  Underwriter, 
which  had  been  chartered  previously  for  this  company,  and 
I  assisted  those  who  had  come  with  me  to  get  settled  on 
the  vessel.  The  next  day,  Sunday,  the  presidency  of  the 
mission  went  on  the  ship,  where  the  company  was  organ- 
ized with  Elder  Milo  Andrus  as  president,  Elders  H.  Dun- 
can and  C.  W.  Penrose  as  counselors,  and  John  Cook  as 
steward.  The  migrating  Saints  were  also  given  appropri- 
ate instructions  by  Apostles  Lyman,  Rich  and  Cannon. 
Next  day  the  vessel  sailed,  and  on  the  following  day,  Tues- 
day, I  returned  to  my  missionary  duties  at  Nottingham  and 
vicinity.  On  the  29th,  the  day  after  holding  a  conference 
at  Nottingham,  I  baptized  six  persons. 

In  the  early  part  of  May — the  5th — conference  was 
held  in  Leicester,  Apostle  C.  C.  Rich  being  in  attendance. 
He  remained  till  the  9th,  preaching  to  the  people  in  differ- 
ent places.  On  the  17th  I  received  a  letter  from  Apostle 
George  Q.  Cannon,  informing  me  that  my  district  had  been 
enlarged,  the  Lincolnshire  conference  being  detached  from 
Elder  Joseph  F.  Smith's  district  and  added  to  mine,  so  there 
were  four  conferences  in  my  pastorate.  On  the  20th  I 
baptized  one  man  and  two  women  who  had  been  cut  off 
the  Church,  but  desired  to  return.     Next  day  I  was  a  spec- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  427 

tator,  with  about  forty  thousand  other  people,  at  a  review 
of  the  Nottingham  Rifles,  before  the  Duke  of  Newcastle, 
at  Nottingham  Forest.  On  the  25th  Apostle  G.  Q.  Cannon 
came  from  Liverpool,  held  meetings,  and  attended  to  busi- 
ness in  conference. 

On  June  2nd  I  attended  to  three  more  baptisms,  and 
on  the  6th  was  at  the  Sheffield  conference,  which  was  in 
charge  of  Elder  Joseph  F.  Smith.  During  my  stay  there  I 
visited  a  large  manufactory  of  steel  and  iron  ware,  and 
called  on  the  Norfolk  giant,  but  he  was  too  ill  to  be  seen. 
On  the  13th  I  returned  to  Nottingham,  traveling  as  far  as 
Grantham  with  Apostles  Lyman  and  Rich,  who  went  on  to 
London.  The  remainder  of  the  month  was  occupied  in  my 
general  duties.  It  was  in  this  month  that  I  wrote  to  the 
Millennial  Star,  explaining  how  my  name  was  James 
Brown,  and  then  because  of  others  of  the  same  name  I 
became  known  as  James  Brown  2nd,  then  James  Brown 
3rd,  and  had  concluded  to  take  my  mother's  maiden  name, 
Stephens,  so  that  thereafter  I  would  have  an  initial  to  dis- 
tinguish me,  and  be  known  as  James  S.  Brown. 

At  Nottingham,  on  June  6,  many  poor  people  marched 
through  the  streets,  asking  and  singing  for  food,  or  money 
to  buy  it.  The  next  day  after  meeting,  I  was  presented  by 
Sister  Elizabeth  Wilscn  with  a  small  anchor,  cross  and 
heart  she  had  made  out  of  a  stone  she  had  picked  up  on 
the  beach  at  Folkestone,  England..  On  the  8th  I  received 
a  letter  from  Apostle  C.  C.  Rich,  inviting  Elder  J.  C.  Rich 
and  myself  to  meet  him  and  Apostle  A.  M.  Lyman  in  Lon- 
don on  the  14th,  to  take  a  trip  to  Paris,  France.  Accord- 
ingly, I  arranged  the  conference  business,  and  we  were  in 
London  on  the  date  named,  attending  conference. 

Our  contemplated  visit  to  France  had  to  be  given  up, 
however,  as  the  Apostles  were  called  to  Scotland  to  attend  to 
some  matters  there.  We  visited  many  places  of  interest  in 
London,  such  as  the  Anatomical  Museum,  the   Polytechnic 


428  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Institute,  Crystal  Palace,  Bank  of  England,  the  Fire  Monu- 
ment, the  Docks.  Tower  of  London,  St.  Paul's  Cathedral, 
Smithfield  Market,  the  Mint,  Windsor  Castle,  and  Eton 
College.  On  the  17th,  at  Crystal  Palace,  we  heard  the 
chorus  of  three  thousand  five  hundred  children.  At  Eton 
College  we  found  the  students  inclined  to  be  impudent, 
throwing  pebbles  at  passers-by  and  staring  rudely  at  them. 
During  the  latter  part  of  my  stay  in  London  I  was 
quite  ill,  and  had  to  remain  indoors*  part  of  the  time,  once 
being  in  all  day.  I  returned  to  Nottingham  on  the  24th, 
where  the  only  thing  of  particular  interest  outside  of  my 
missionary  duties  that  I  observed  during  that  month  was 
on  the  30th,  when  I  went  out  to  the  park  and  saw  Pro- 
fessor Blondin  perform  on  the  tight  rope. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  429 


CHAPTER    LVIII. 

PROLONGED  ELLNESS— ATTEND  TO  MY  DUTIES  WITH  DIFFICULTY-LET- 
TER TELLING  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  BULL'S  BUN— WITNESS  AN  EXE- 
CUTION BY  HANGING— VISIT  FEOM  GEORGE  Q.  CANNON,  JOSEPH 
F.  SMITH  AND  OTHEBS— DEATH  OF  THE  PBINCE  CONSOBT— GO  TO 
BIRMINGHAM— CONFERENCE  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD  IX  THE  BRIT- 
ISH MISSION— LARGE  MEETING  EN  ODD  FELLOWS'  HALL,  BIRMING- 
HAM-AGAIN  AT  NOTTINGHAM— VISIT  LIVERPOOL— CONSULT  A 
PHYSICIAN,  BUT  GET  LITTLE  RELIEF-SEE  THE  LIVERPOOL 
GRAND  NATIONAL  RACES— DEPBAVTTI  AMONG  POOBEB  CLASSES 
IN  LIVERPOOL— AGAIN  AT  NOTTINGHAM— RELEASED  TO  RETURN 
HOME-BID  THE  PEOPLE  FAREWELL— DISPLAY  OF  THEIR  AFFEC- 
TION FOR  ME— REPORT  OF  MY  LABORS  PUBLISHED  IN  THE  MIL- 
LENNIAL STAR— UN  BOARD  SHIP— PLACED  IN  CHARGE  OF  THE 
COMPANY— SAIL  FOR  AMERICA— DRIVEN  BY  HEADWINDS  ALONG 
THE  COASTS  OF  THE  ISLE  OF  MAN.  WALES,  IRELAND  AND  SCOT- 
LAND —  SEVERE  SEASICKNESS  —  GET  TO  SEA— SLOW  VOYAGE- 
DEATH-  ANIi  BURIALS  AT  SEA— LAND  AT  NEW  YORK— GUEST 
OF  HON.  W.  H.  HOOPER— JOURNEY  TO  FLORENCE,  NEBRASKA— 
CAPTAIN  AND  ».UIDE  OF  INDEPENDENT  COMPANY— REACH  SALT 
LAKE  CITY-REPORT  TO  PRESIDENT  YOUNG— AGAIN  AT  HOME. 

DURING  the  remainder  of  the  year  1861  I  was  in 
very  poor  health,  often  having  to  stay  in  my  room 
all  day,  and  when  I  was  able  to  get  about,  many  times  it 
was  with  great  difficulty,  as  I  was  quite  lame  in  my  hips 
and  shoulder.  I  tried  various  applications  and  simple  rem- 
edies, but  to  little  purpose.  I  moved  around  as  best  1  could, 
however,  and  by  determined  efforts  I  was  able  to  attend  to 
my  duties,  visiting  the  Saints,  and  preaching  the  Gospel 
wherever  opportunity  offered,  whether  at  indoor  or  outdoor 
meetings.  Sometimes,  when  I  was  able  to  get  to  the  meet- 
ings of  the  Saints,  I  was  too  ill  to  stand  up  and  preach,  but 
toward  the  latter  part  of  the  year  my  health  improved  a 
little. 

The  civil  war  in  America  was  on.  having  begun  after  I 


430  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

left;  and  on  August  5th  I  received  a  letter  telling  of  the 
battle  of  Bull's  Run.  near  Manassas  Junction,  which  was 
fought  July  21,  1861,  and  in  which  the  Union  forces  were 
defeated.  On  the  16th  of  August  I  went  to  the  Derbyshire 
jail  yard  in  Derby,  and  there  saw  a  young  man  named 
George  Smith  executed  by  hanging.  He  had  murdered 
his  father.  From  thirty-live  to  forty  thousand  people  wit- 
nessed the  execution. 

On  the  1st  of  September  Apostle  George  Q.  Cannon 
was  in  Nottingham,  attending  conference,  and  we  had  large 
meetings  and  an  excellent  time.  On  October  1st  Elder 
Joseph  F.  Smith  and  other  missionaries  came  from  Sheffield 
on  a  visit,  and  remained  several  days,  spending  the  time 
among  the  Saints.  At  Nottingham  we  had  a  tea  party  in 
the  Arboretum,  at  which  about  two  hundred  persons  were 
present.  I  was  visiting  the  Saints  at  Pinxton  on  December 
14th,  the  day  that  Prince  Albert,  husband  of  Queen  Vic- 
toria, died  at  Windsor  Castle. 

I  started  for  Birmingham  on  the  31st  of  December  to 
attend  a  conference  of  those  in  the  British  Mission  who  held 
the  Holy  Priesthood.  This  conference  began  on  Wednesday, 
Januarv  1,  1862,  and  was  largely  attended.  We  had  a  most 
enjoyable  time  in  making  reports  of  our  experiences  and  in 
receiving  instruction  and  testifying  of  the  blessings  of  the 
Gospel.  The  meetings  began  at  10  a.  m.  and  lasted  till  2 
p.  m.,  then  at  4  p.  m.  and  lasted  till  7  p.  m.  They  continued 
through  Wednesday,  Thursday,  Friday  and  Saturday,  the 
presidency  of  the  European  Mission,  Apostles  A.  M. 
Lyman,  Charles  C.  Rich  and  George  Q.  Cannon,  being  in 
attendance  and  directing  the  meetings.  On  Sunday,  the 
5th,  we  met  with  the  Saints  in  Odd  Fellows'  Hall,  the  con- 
gregation numbering  about  fifteen  hundred  persons;  an  ex- 
cellent feeling  prevailed.  Next  day  the  Priesthood  meet- 
ings were  concluded,  and  on  Tuesday  I  left  Birmingham 
for  Derby,  in  my  own  missionary  district.     On  the  27th  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  43 1 

January  I  was  in  Nottingham,  and  baptized  and  confirmed 
Elizabeth  Hardy. 

My  health  again  became  quite  bad.  but  I  performed 
my  duties,  preaching,  baptizing,  visiting  and  conversing 
with  the  people  on  the  subject  of  the  Gospel,  and  attending 
to  the  business  in  my  pastorate,  until  March  5th,  when  I 
took  the  train  for  Liverpool.  There  I  consulted  Apostles 
A.  M.  Lyman  and  G.  Q.  Cannon,  and  on  the  7th  Elder 
Cannon  introduced  me  to  Dr.  Smith,  who  pronounced  my 
ailment  neuralgia,  and  prescribed  turkish  baths  and  the 
magnetic-electric  machine.  I  remained  in  Liverpool  till  the 
22nd,  occasionally  visiting,  in  company  with  some  of  the 
Elders,  places  of  interest  such  as  the  new  park  and  the 
botanical  gardens.  On  March  nth  we  saw  the  Liverpool 
races  at  Aintree,  a  suburb.  There  were  two  plate  races 
and  the  grand  national  steeple  chase.  At  one  hurdle  a 
horse  fell  on  his  rider  and  the  latter  was  picked  up  for  dead, 
but  he  recovered;  three  other  riders  were  unhorsed.  About 
twenty  thousand  people  were  in  attendance  at  these  races. 
It  was  while  in  Liverpool,  on  March  18th,  as  I  was  walking 
through  the  northwest  part  of  the  town  in  compan}7  with 
Elder  George  J.  Taylor,  that  I  saw  hundreds  of  people  in 
the  most  degraded  state  in  which  I  ever  beheld  human 
beings. 

My  health  having  improved  a  little,  I  returned  to  Not- 
tingham on  the  22nd,  Apostle  G.  Q.  Cannon's  wife  and 
child  accompanying  me.  Mrs.  Cannon  had  been  very  ill,  and 
had  been  advised  to  go  to  Nottingham  in  the  hope  of  the 
change  benefiting  her  health.  On  reaching  Nottingham, 
I  there  resumed  my  missionary  labors.  My  health  again 
began  to  fail,  and  early  in  April  I  received  notice  of  my  re- 
lease to  return  home.  On  the  7th  of  April  Sister  Cannon 
went  to  Liverpool  in  company  with  her  husband.  I  settled 
business  of  the  conference  and  went  to  different  branches 
and  bade  the  Saints  good-bye.     They  exhibited  their  affec- 


432  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

tion  for  me  by  many  words  and  acts  of  kindness.  On  April 
13th  I  preached  my  farewell  sermon  in  Nottingham,  and  it 
was  with  mingled  feelings  of  sorrow  and  joy  that  I  bade 
the  Saints  farewell — sorrow  to  leave  them,  and  joy  to  see 
the  display  of  love  toward  me  by  both  members  of  the 
Church  and  numbers  of  people  who  were  not  members. 
On  Monday,  April  14th,  I  went  to  Liverpool.  The  next 
dav  I  wrote  the  following,  which  was  published  in  the  Mil- 
lennial Star: 

''Liverpool,  April  15,  1862. 
"President  Cannon : 

"Dear  Brother: — I  take  pleasure  in  writing  to  you 
a  brief  report  of  my  labors  in  the  ministry  of  the  Notting- 
ham District.  On  the  7th  of  August,  i860,  I  was  appointed 
by  the  presidency  here,  namely:  A.  M.  Lyman  and  C.  C. 
Rich,  to  labor  as  a  traveling  Elder  in  the  aforementioned 
district,  where  I  continued  my  labors  in  company  with 
Elder  Joseph  C.  Rich  and  under  the  pastoral  charge  of 
Elder  David  John,  until  January  1st,  1861.  I  then  received 
an  appointment  to  the  presidency  of  the  Nottingham  Dis- 
trict, composed  of  the  Nottingham,  Derby,  Leicester  and 
Lincolnshire  conferences,  where  I  continued  my  labors  un- 
til the  14th  instant,  when  I  arrived  in  Liverpool,  having  re- 
ceived your  letter  of  release,  with  the  privilege  of  returning 
to  our  mountain  home  in  Utah. 

"I  can  truly  say  that  I  have  taken  much  pleasure  in  my 
field  of  labor,  for  I  have  seen  my  feeble  exertions  in  con- 
nection with  the  Priesthood  laboring  with  me  crowned  with 
success.  I  have  witnessed  an  increase  of  the  good  Spirit 
among  the  Saints.  We  have  not  only  witnessed  these 
symptoms  of  increase,  but  have  added  by  baptism  some 
two  hundred  and  fifty  souls,  besides  many  rebaptisms;  and 
many  misunderstandings  of  the  Saints  have  been  corrected, 
so  that,  with  a  few  exceptions,  the  Saints  are  in  fellowship 
with  one  another. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  433 

"In  that  district,  I  think,  there  have  been  some  four 
excommunicated  and  five  disfellowshiped  during  the  last 
twenty-one  months;  and  with  the  present  year's  emigration, 
we  have  two  hundred  emigrated  from  that  district.  Suffice 
it  to  say,  that  the  district  is  in  a  healthy  condition.  The 
Saints  are  feeling  very  well,  and  are  full  of  the  spirit  to 
emigrate.  Many  strangers  are  becoming  very  much  inter- 
ested in  our  meetings,  insomuch  that  some  of  them  attend 
regularly;  and  on  Sunday  evening,  the  13th,  after  I 
preached  my  farewell  sermon  in  Nottingham,  some  four 
or  five  strangers,  whom  I  have  no  recollection  of  ever  see- 
ing before, — shook  hands  with  me,  saying,  'God  bless 
you,'  and  at  the  same  time  they  did  not  forget  to  bless  me 
themselves,  thus  exemplifying  their  faith  by  their  works. 
I  find  the  people  in  the  midland  counties  to  be  a  kind- 
hearted  people;  and  when  once  you  get  the  crust  of  tradi- 
tion in  which  they  are  encased  cracked,  so  as  to  feed  them 
with  the  bread  of  eternal  life,  they  generally  receive  it 
with  great  joy  and  gladness. 

"Although  I  have  not  enjoyed  very  good  health  any  of 
the  time  I  have  been  in  this  country,  I  feel  sometimes  to  re- 
gret leaving  the  mission,  when  I  reflect  upon  the  memory 
of  so  many  warm  throbbing  hearts  for  Zion,  whose  circum- 
stances are  rather  forbidding  at  present;  yet  I  feel  that  if 
they  would  arouse  with  more  energy  and  life,  and  be  more 
faithful  in  reading  the  Stars  and  Journals,  attend  their  meet- 
ings, and  be  more  faithful  in  their  duties,  and  not  pore  over 
their  poverty  so  much,  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  they 
will  be  able  to  accomplish  that  most  desirable  object  of 
going  to  Zion. 

"And  now  I  beg  to  bid  good-bye  to  the  Saints  of  the 
Nottingham  District,  and  say,  may  the  God  of  Israel  bless 
and  preserve  them,  together  with  all  the  Saints  and  the 
honest  in  heart  in  all  the  world.  And  as  I  expect  to  leave 
this  country  on  the  21st  instant,  I  bid  adieu  to  her  majesty's 


434  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

dominions  and  to  all  her  subjects.  I  have  lifted  up  my  voice 
and  cried  aloud,  and  spared  not,  till  I  feel  that  my  skirts  are 
clear,  so  far  as  this  mission  to  the  British  nation  is  con- 
cerned. 

"And  now  with  kind  regards  to  yourself,  Presidents  Ly- 
man and  Rich,  my  brethren  and  co-laborers  in  the  ministry 
and  the  many  faithful  Saints  under  their  watchcare,  I  bid 
all  an  affectionate  farewell,  praying  God  to  bless  and  pros- 
per every  effort  made  to  advance  the  interests  of  His  king- 
dom. 

"I  subscribe  myself  your  brother  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 

"James  S.  Brown." 

I  was  variously  engaged  the  next  two  days  in  prepar- 
ing for  the  voyage,  and  in  assisting  others.  On  Saturday, 
the  19th,  I  went  on  board  the  ship  John  J.  Boyd,  on  which 
we  were  to  sail.  That  day  a  young  man  who  resided  at 
Nottingham  and  who  had  been  courting  Miss  Mary  Oakey, 
from  the  same  district,  came  to  Liverpool,  and  the  young 
lady  went  out  with  him.  They  were  never  seen  again  by 
us.     We  supposed  they  had  eloped. 

On  Monday,  the  21st,  Iagain  went  on  board.  Apostles 
A.  M.  Lyman,  C.  C.  Rich  and  George  Q.  Cannon  came  on 
the  vessel  and  organized  the  company  of  emigrating  Saints, 
with  the  following  presidency:  James  S.  Brown,  president; 
John  Lindsay  and  J.  C.  Rich,  counselors.  The  Apostles 
gave  us  much  good  instructions  and  bade  us  good-bye, 
after  which  we  made  a  further  temporary  organization  so 
as  to  call  watches  for  the  night;  then,  after  prayer,  we  re- 
tired, it  being  about  midnight.  Next  day  the  company  Was 
organized  into  nine  wards,  with  a  presiding  teacher  over 
each.  There  were  on  board  six  hundred  and  ninety-six 
emigrating  Saints,  and  the  crew,  which  made  the  total  up 
to  seven  hundred  and  thirty-five  souls. 

At  half-past  seven  o'clock   on   the    23rd   we   weighed 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  435* 

anchor,  and  the  vessel  was  towed  about  twenty  miles  out  to 
sea,  and  left,  in  a  strong  headwind.  We  beat  about  the 
Irish  Channel  all  day,  and  about  4  p.  m.,  drew  so  close  to- 
the  Isle  of  Man  that  we  could  see  the  towns  and  distinguish 
the  houses.  Then  we  tacked  about  and  sailed  away  along 
the  coast  of  Wales.  Nearly  everybody  on  board  was  sea- 
sick, and  one  child,  about  five  months  old,  in  a  family  named 
Hardy,  died.  It  was  buried  at  sea  on  the  24th.  Myself 
and  counselors  went  among  the  people,  waiting  on  them 
and  cheering  them. 

Next  day  the  heavy  headwind  continued,  and  the  sea- 
sickness seemed  very  severe.  I  was  affected  myself,  but 
still  was  able  to  help  others.  We  went  along  between  the 
Isle  of  Man  and  the  coast  of  Ireland,  and  by  the  26th,  when 
the  wind  became  lighter,  we  could  see  the  coast  of  Ireland 
on  our  left  and  the  Scottish  hills  on  the  right.  We  could 
also  see  the  Irish  houses,  farms  and  roads  quite  plainly.  It 
was  noon  on  the  27th  before  we  passed  out  of  sight  of  land, 
the  last  we  sawr  being  a  small  island  off  the  northwest  coast 
of  Ireland. 

From  that  time  on  we  experienced  all  kinds  of  weather, 
from  a  dead  calm  to  a  heavy  gale.  On  the  1st  of  May  the 
wind  was  so  strong  it  carried  away  the  jib-boom  and  fore- 
top-gallant  mast.  On  the  5th  a  little  boy  named  Benjamin 
V.  Williams  died  from  a  fall  down  the  hatchway  on  May 
1st.  Taking  all  things  together,  however,  we  got  along 
fairly  well.  Once  we  had  to  complain  to  the  captain  of 
rough  treatment  by  the  third  mate  and  some  of  the  sailors, 
and  it  was  checked.  On  May  21st  we  sighted  Sandy  Hook, 
and  on  June  1st  we  cast  anchor  in  the  bay  of  New  York. 
On  the  voyage  we  had  had  cases  of  measles  and  whooping- 
cough,  and  there  were  seven  deaths  in  our  company  while 
we  were  at  sea. 

On  landing  in  New  York  1  received  an  invitation  from 
Hon.  Wm.  H.  Hooper  for  the   Utah   Elders  to  stay  at  the 


436  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Astor  House  at  his  expense.  Eleven  of  us  availed  our- 
selves of  the  courtesy  extended.  On  June  2nd  the 
emigrants  were  landed  and  we  proceeded  west  via  Niagara 
Falls  and  the  lakes  to  Detroit,  then  by  way  of  Chicago, 
Quincy  and  Hannibal  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri.  From  that 
point  we  went  to  Florence,  Nebraska,  by  steamboat,  and 
there  I  turned  over  my  charge  to  Joseph  W.  Young,  who 
was  conducting  affairs  at  that  place. 

I  was  next  assigned  to  an  independent  company  which 
had  its  own  outfit,  and  was  selected  as  captain  and  guide. 
The  company  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  souls,  with 
fifty  wagons  and  teams.  We  left  Florence  in  the  latter  part 
of  June,  and  arrived  in  Salt  Lake  City  on  September  23, 
1862.  I  made  my  report  to  President  Brigham  Young,  and 
was  honorably  released.  I  stayed  in  the  city  till  after  the 
October  conference  of  the  Church,  then  hastened  home  to 
my  family  in  Ogden  City,  finding  them  all  well. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  437 


CHAPTER    LIX. 

REMOVE  FROM  OGDEN  TO  SALT  LAKE  CITY  AT  THE  REQUEST  OF  PRESI- 
DENT YOUNG— NECESSITY  FOR  PREACHING  AMONG  THE  SAINTS— 
IN  THE  EMPLOY  OF  PRESIDENT  YOUNG— ON  ANOTHER  MISSION, 
THIS  TIME  IN  UTAH— PREACHING  AND  LECTURING— BUILD  A 
HOUSE— GO  TO  THE  CANYON  TO  GET  FINISHING  LUMBER— SHOT 
IN  MISTAKE  FOB  A  BEAR— MY  WOUND  VERY  SERIOUS— TAKEN  TO 
WANSHIP  TO  RECEIVE  CARE— MY  FAMILY  NOTIFIED  AND  SURGI- 
CAL ASSISTANCE  OBTAINED— MOVED  TO  MY  HOME— IN  BED  NINE 
MONTHS— TWO  SURGICAL  OPERATIONS  -  GROW  STRONGER— EM- 
PLOYED AT  THE  WARM  SPRING  —  DR.  BOBIN8ON—  ABSCESSES  DS  MY 
WOUNDED  LIMB-OUT  OF  EMPLOYMENT— GO  TO  THE  CALIFORNIA 
LINE  TO  EXAMINE  A  GOLD  PROSPECT— PERILOUS  JOURNEY—  IN- 
DIANr8  OH  THE  WARPATH— REMARKABLE  EXPERIENCE  WITH  A 
BAND  OF  SAVAGES— GIFT  OF  SPEAKING  THEIR  LANGUAGE-UN- 
ABLE TO  WORK  THE  GOLD  CLAIM  BECAUSE  <  >F  LACK  OF  WATER 
—RETURN  TO  SALT  LAKE  CTTY— GO  TO  THE  GOLD  DISCOVERIES 
«>\  THE  SWEETWATER— DI«  OVER  A  PLACER  CLAIM— AN  ATTEMPT 
TO  ROB  ME  OF  IT-RUSH  FOR  A  MINE— HOLD  THE  CLAIM— AS- 
SAILED BY  HOSTILE  INDIAN — A  RACE  FOR  LIFE— THREE  MEN 
KILLED— WE  ABANDON  CAMP — DEFER  WITH  MY  LAME  LIMB— 
LOSE  THE  MINING  <  I. AIM— HAULING  COAL  AND  PRODUCE— ALMOST 
DIE-OONFrNED  To  BID  FOB  MONTHS— AMPUTATION  OF  MY  LIMB 
TO  SANE  MY  LTFE— RECOVERY— ATTEND  TO  MY  NURSERY— ADVENT 
OF  THE  RAILWAY— TRAVELING  AND  PREACHING— A  SLIGHT  SUN- 
STROKE. 

r^  HORTLY  atter  my  return  from  my  mission  to  Europe, 
^J  President  Brigham  Young  was  in  Ogden,  and  told  me 
he  wished  me  to  locate  my  family  in  Salt  Lake  City,  pre- 
paratory to  my  going  on  another  mission,  if  not  a  foreign, 
a  home  mission;  "for,"  said  he,  "I  don't  know  of  any 
people  on  earth  that  need  more  preaching  to  than  do  the 
Latter-day  Saints  at  home.  We  send  our  Elders  out  to 
preach  and  to  gather  the  people  from  workshops  and  fac- 
tories, then  set  those   people   down  here  in   a   new  country 


438  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

and  leave  them  to  do  the  best  they  can,  without  necessary 
experience;  and  the  result  is  that  many  of  them  get  dis- 
couraged and  apostatize  ;  whereas,  if  the  Elders  would 
keep  the  harness  on,  and  preach  to  and  encourage  them, 
they  would  stay  and  make  good  Latter-day  Saints." 

I  moved  to  Salt  Lake  City  according  to  President 
Young's  advice,  and  was  about  eleven  months  in  his  em- 
ploy. Then,  by  his  appointment,  I  traveled  through  the 
Territory,  preaching,  and  lecturing  on  my  travels  and  ex- 
periences. The  people  in  Utah  were  liberal,  giving  me 
much  assistance,  principally  in  the  way   of  farm  products. 

In  1863  I  purchased  a  lot  from  President  Young,  be- 
gan the  erection  of  a  two-story-  adobe  house,  and  moved 
into  it  in  1864.  It  was  not  completed,  and  in  August  I 
went  into  the  mountains  to  get  finishing  lumber.  On  the 
night  of  the  20th  of  that  month  I  was  shot  by  a  camp 
mate,  in  mistake  for  a  bear.  The  young  man  who  shot  me 
was  Alexander  Gilbert.  The  bullet  entered  two-thirds  of 
the  way  above  my  knee,  on  the  inside  of  the  left  thigh,  and 
shattered  the  bone  into  many  fragments.  The  weapon 
was  a  United  States  yauger,  and  carried  a  half-ounce  ball, 
which  was  broken  to  bits,  and,  with  parts  of  my  clothing, 
including  two  pieces  of  a  brass  suspender  buckle,  lodged  in 
my  limb. 

The  accident  occurred  in  Alexander  Canyon,  about 
three  miles  above  Wanship,  Summit  County,  between  11 
and  12  o'clock  at  night.  There  were  four  of  us  in  camp  at 
the  time.  The  man  who  did  the  shooting  ran  and  told 
George  G.  Snyder,  who  was  soon  at  my  side  with  a  team 
and  light  spring  wagon,  and  with  some  stimulants.  He 
and  my  camp  mates  tenderly  lifted  me  on  the  bed,  and  con- 
veved  me  to  the  home  of  my  father-in-law,  Nathan  Tanner, 
in  Wanship,  where  I  was  kindly  cared  for  by  him  and  his 
family,  and  my  own  family  notified  of  the  accident  that  had 
befallen  me.     My  wound  being  of  a  most  serious  character, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  439 

the  best  surgical  attention  procurable  at  the  time  was  ob- 
tained. 

The  surgeon  advised  amputation,  but  I  objected  as  long 
as  there  was  any  hope  of  saving  the  limb.  I  laid  there  till 
November,  then  was  moved  to  my  home  in  Salt  Lake 
City.  For  nine  months  I  laid  on  my  back,  unable  to  move 
from  that  position.  During  that  time  two  surgical  opera- 
tions were  performed,  taking  out  parts  of  shattered  bone 
and  the  bullet.  I  was  reduced  to  a  skeleton,  and  became 
so  weak  I  could  not  feed  myself  or  even  lift  a  sheet  of 
paper  between  my  thumb  and  finger.  After  the  second 
surgical  operation,  however,  I  began  to  improve,  and  in  a 
few  weeks  could  get  around  with  a  crutch  and  a  cane. 

As  I  grew  stronger,  I  was  able  to  work  some  in  my 
nursery;  and  when,  in  the  autumn  of  that  year,  1865,  the 
municipality  opened  the  Warm  Springs  to  the  public  I  was 
given  charge  thereof,  and  remained  in  that  position  till  the 
autumn  of  1866.  I  was  thereat  the  time  Dr.  J.  King  Robin- 
son, who  had  had  a  dispute  with  the  city  over  the  Warm 
Springs  property,  was  killed,  October  22,  1866.  When  I 
was  brought  from  Wanship  in  November,  1864,  after  being 
shot,  Dr.  Robinson,  as  associate  surgeon  in  my  case,  was 
the  first  one  to  do  any  cutting  on  my  limb. 

During  the  time  after  I  was  able  to  move  around,  sub- 
sequent to  the  months  I  had  to  lie  in  bed,  my  wounded 
limb  gave  me  much  trouble.  Abscesses  would  form,  caus- 
ing me  severe  pain,  then  would  burst,  and  when  the  pus 
was  drained  the  flesh  would  heal  again.  But  I  was  able 
to  perform  only  light  physical  labor,  so  when,  late  in  the 
autumn  of  1866,  business  fell  off  at  the  Warm  Springs,  I 
was  notified  that,  as  I  was  unable  to  do  all  the  work  re- 
quired and  the  bath  house  did  not  have  sufficient  patronage 
to  pay  two  men's  wages,  my  services  were  no  longer  re- 
quired. While  business  was  good  I  had  purchased  a  hack, 
one  .of  the   first  in   the   city,   to  convey   passengers  to  and 


44°  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

from  the  Warm  Springs,  the  route  being  to  the  business 
part  of  town,  but  as  traffic  fell  off  I  had  to  dispose  of  the 
vehicle.  Thus  when  I  was  thrown  out  of  employment  I 
was  left  without  means  of  obtaining  a  livelihood  for  myself 
and  family. 

I  had  some  specimens  of  the  gold  I  had  discovered 
near  the  southeastern  boundary  of  California  in  1849, 
when  I  was  going  on  my  first  mission  to  the  Society  Islands. 
I  showed  the  specimens  to  President  Brigham  Young,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1S67,  with  a  company  which  he  had 
authorized  me  to  select,  started  for  the  California  border, 
our  destination  being  a  point  in  the  desert  known  as  Salt 
Springs.  The  company  included  Wood  Birdno,  Lemuel 
Steele,  Dr.  Hickman,  Robert  Egbert  and  seven  others  be- 
sides myself. 

On  reaching  Los  Vegas,  we  learned  from  white  men, 
of  whom  there  were  about  fifty  there,  that  the  Indians 
were  on  the  warpath.  Two  of  the  savages  had  been  killed 
by  the  white  men,  and  their  tribe  was  seeking  revenge.  The 
red  men  had  challenged  the  white  men  to  come  out  of  their 
fort  and  fight;  bui  the  challenge  was  not  accepted.  We 
were  warned  that  to  continue  the  journey  meant  certain 
death,  so  I  told  my  companions  they  were  at  liberty  to  re- 
turn, but  I  proposed  to  go  on.  All  of  the  company  elected 
to  do  the  same. 

We  proceeded  very  carefully,  and  in  going  along  a 
narrow  canvon  we  observed  fresh  Indian  tracks.  These 
were  noticeable  for  about  five  miles,  but  in  that  distance  we 
saw  no  Indians,  though  we  momentarily  expected  them, 
and  kept  a  sharp  lookout.  At  last  we  discovered  one 
Indian  who  claimed  to  be  friendly,  but  he  left  us  soon — an 
action  which  we  accepted  as  an  indication  of  trouble.  In 
the  afternoon  we  selected  a  camping  place  on  an  almost 
bare  knoll,  where  it  seemed  impossible  for  a  man  to 
find  shelter  enough  to  hide  himself.     As  I  was  very  tired, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  44 1 

my  companions  spread  some  quilts  for  me  to  lie  down  on. 
Scarce  had  they  done  so  when  a  large  Indian  rose  up  from 
a  little  gully  where  he  had  been  hidden.  He  was  within 
shooting  distance,  and  was  well  armed.  As  soon  as  we  saw 
him,  rav  companions  seized  their  weapons,  whereupon  I 
shouted  -Hold  on!" 

The  Indian  made  a  motion  as  if  to  express  a  wish  to 
shake  hands,  and  I  threw  my  hand  up  and  down  again,  in 
an  involuntary  movement,  the  meaning  of  which  I  did  not 
know  in  Indian  sign  language.  The  stranger  received  it 
a*s  a  friendlv  invitation,  and  came  forward  and  shook 
hands.  Again,  as  on  former  occasions,  I  had  the  gift  of 
the  tongue  or  language  which  the  Indians  in  this  vicinity 
— near  Williams'  Ranch — spoke,  though  I  had  never  heard 
it  before.  I  talked  to  him,  and  learned  that  there  were  other 
Indians  secreted  close  by.  He  called  to  them,  and  about  fif- 
teen rose  up  and  came  to  camp.  I  was  informed  that  white 
men  had  killed  some  of  their  number,  and  that  one  wounded 
Indian  was  lying  a  short  distance  away.  This  one  I  asked 
to  be  brought  in  and  laid  near  my  bed,  which  was  done.  Dr. 
Hickman  examined  his  wounds,  a  shot  through  the  cheek 
and  one  in  the  hip,  which  he  said  were  not  fatal. 

I  also  directed  a  piece  of  wagon  cover  spread  out,  and 
told  the  Indians  I  wanted  their  weapons  laid  on  that,  which 
was  done.  Then  some  of  our  company  rolled  the  wagon 
cover  up  and  tied  it,  so  the  guns  could  not  be  got  at  readily 
if  there  were  trouble.  Then,  when  our  guards  had  been 
set  for  the  night,  we  laid  down  and  slept  in  peace  and 
safety.  We  made  a  bargain  with  the  Indians  to  take  care 
of  our  animals  at  a  place  where  there  was  good  grass,  and 
they  did  so. 

The  next  day  we  moved  on  and  met  no  further  trouble 
or  danger.  We  reached  our  destination  in  due  course,  and 
examined  the  gold  prospect,  which  wras  quite  rich.  But 
there  was  no  water  within  twenty-five  miles,  and  it  was  not 

28 


442  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

practicable  to  work  the  mines  with  the  methods  within  our 
reach  in  those  days.  We  had  to  give  up  and  return  home, 
our  route  of  travel  being  by  way  of  the  Colorado  River  as 
far  as  Call's  Fort,  then  by  the  settlements  on  the  Muddy  into 
Utah.  I  reported  the  trip  and  its  results  to  President 
Young. 

At  that  time  there  had  arisen  some  excitement  over 
gold  discoveries  on  the  Sweetwater,  near  South  Pass. 
Fourteen  years  previous  to  that  date  I  had  related  to  Presi- 
dent Young  how  the  Indians  had  told  me  of  gold  in  that 
locality.  President  Young  showed  me  specimens  that  had 
been  brought  him  from  the  new  discovery,  and  told  me  to 
get  a  few  men  and  see  what  I  could  do,  as  he  believed  it 
was  a  good  opportunity  for  me.  I  did  so,  and  in  July, 
1867,  in  company  with  Foster  Curtis,  Brower  Pettit,  Ben- 
jamin Brown  and  B.  Y.  Hampton,  started  for  the  Sweet- 
water. 

Reaching  our  destination,  we  prospected  for  the 
precious  metal.  One  day  I  went  out  alone,  and  at  the  base 
of  a  slope  near  the  Teresa  mine  I  discovered  free  gold.  I 
dug  a  hole  and  worked  at  it,  securing  dirt  that  carried  fifty 
to  sixty  cents  per  pan.  It  was  a  placer  claim,  and  I  decided 
that  we  would  occupy  it.  While  I  was  getting  out  some 
of  the  gold,  S.  Sharp  Walker  came  along  and  saw  it,  and 
on  going  to  camp  told  the  men.  I  did  not  know  this  till 
after,  but  early  next  morning,  before  daylight,  I  overheard 
a  man  in  the  tent  next  to  our  wagon  tell  of  a  plan  to  seize 
the  claim.  A  lot  of  men  were  there,  Mormons  and  non- 
Mormons.  I  awoke  my  companions,  and  it  was  agreed 
that  they  should  go  and  stake  the  claim,  while  I  should  get 
it  recorded.  This  we  did,  and  had  the  work  accomplished 
before  day  was  fairly  on.  I  reached  the  claim,  to  which 
the  others  had  preceded  me,  before  those  who  intended  to 
jump  it  arrived  at  the  place,  and  when  the  latter  came  up  I 
was  prepared  to  defend   it.     One  man    said  he  had    staked 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  443 

the  claim  before  us.  but  as  his  statement  was  not  true,  we 
stood  him  off  and  retained  possession. 

Our  party  went  to  work,  while  I  started  to  find  my 
horses,  which  had  strayed  away.  As  I  rode  up  on  a  knoll, 
I  discoyered  a  war  party  of  seventy-five  or  eighty  Indians, 
supposed  to  be  Sioux.  I  had  intended  to  dismount  and 
fasten  my  saddle,  but  finding  I  was  discovered  and  that 
about  twenty-five  of  the  Indians  were  closing  in  on  me 
with  horses  much  faster  than  I  had.  I  started  for  camp 
with  the  loose  saddle,  skurrying  over  rocks  and  sagebrush. 
On  the  way  back  I  found  my  horses  and  started  them,  and 
thev  ran  directly  into  camp.  In  the  ride  my  foot  came  out 
of  the  stirrup,  and  my  lame  limb  dangled,  beyond  any 
power  of  mine  to  use  it.  Two  Indians  ran  close  up  on  me 
and  one  drew  his  bow  with  a  fixed  arrow.  I  straightened 
up,  expecting  to  receive  the  missile  in  my  back.  Just  then 
some  of  the  men  who  were  in  our  camp,  and  who  had 
heard  my  shouts,  came  out  and  fired,  and  my  pursuer  turned 
to  save  himself,  while  I  escaped  injury. 

At  the  camp  all  was  excitement.  One  man,  Corinth 
Lawrence,  had  been  shot  and  scalped,  his  body  being  found 
some  time  after  I  came  in.  Isador  Morris  had  had  a  nar- 
row escape.  That  day  there  were  two  others  killed  on 
their  way  to  camp.  Thev  were  Anthony  Showell,  an  east- 
ern man,  and  Orson  Taylor,  from  Springville,  Utah. 
Showell  was  found  and  buried,  but  Taylor's  body  never 
was  discovered,  that  I  can  recall.  In  the  camp  there  were 
George  Naylor,  Gilbert  Webb,  Jesse  West,  John  Pitts, 
Robert  Watson,  Jr.,  George  Boyd  and  many  others  from 
Salt  Lake  City,  as  well  as  men  who  had  come  from  various 
parts  of  the  country.  The  man  who  had  tried  to  jump  the 
claim  I  had  found  assumed  charge  and  got  the  camp 
together,  intending  to  make  a  stand  in  the  brush.  I  knew 
the  danger  of  such  a  proceeding  with  seventy-five  or  eighty 
hostile  Indian  warriors  near,  so,  with  my  companions,  with- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  445 

drew  to  a  better  position;  soon  all  the  camp  followed,  and 
we    prepared    for   defense.       The    intended   claim-jumper, 
whose  name  I  am  unable  to  recall,  was  a  partner  of  Corinth 
Lawrence,  and  requested  me  to  take  charge  of  the  funeral 
of  the  dead  man,  which  I  did,  and   he  was  buried  as  care- 
fully as  we  could  do  it.     That   day  I  suffered  greatly  with 
my  lame  limb,  and  an  abscess  burst  and  discharged  freely. 
Next  morning  we  broke  camp  and  returned  home,  for 
it  was  not  safe  to  remain  there,  in  a   hostile  Indian  country. 
Later  in  the  season,  Brower   Pettit    and  Foster   Curtis  re- 
turned to  our  claim,  but    it   had  been    seized,  and  was   held 
by  parties  from  California.     There  was  a   great  rush   in  of 
people,    and  the  town  of  South  Pass,  or  Atlantic  City,  was 
built.     The  next  spring  I  went  out  with  more  men,  but  our 
claim  could  not  be  regained,  so  we  had  to  give  it  up.     The 
parties  who  seized  it  took  many  thousands  of  dollars  out  of 
it.     The  second  year,  however,  the  mining  boom  collapsed. 
During  the  summer  and   autumn    of  this   year,    1868, 
grading  for   the    Union  Pacific   Railway  was   going  on.     I 
hauled   coal   from    Coalville   to   Salt   Lake   City,   and  also 
hauled    tithing   produce   from    Ogden   and   Logan,   taking 
produce  for  pay,  so  that  my  family  was  well  supplied  with 
provisions.     On  my  last  trip  from  Ogden  I  was  caught  in  a 
snowstorm  on  the   sandridge,  took    a   congestive  chill,  and 
almost  died  on  the  way.      When  I  reached  home  I  was  un- 
able to  get  off  my  wagon.     1  was  cared  for  by  my  family, 
but  suffered   greatly,  and   in  addition  to  the   suppuratiun  in 
my    thigh,    the    wound    bled   so   as   to   endanger  my   life. 
Finally,    on  May    27,    1869,   my   left   limb   was    amputated 
about  four  inches  from  the  hip   joint.     The  surgeons   were 
Dr.  W.   F.   Anderson,   Dr.  H.  J.  Richards   and   Dr.  J.  M. 
Bernhisel.         Apostles  Wilford  Woodruff   and  George    Q. 
Cannon   were   present   also.     The   operation    which  I   had 
objected  to  for  nearly  five  years  became  necessary  to  save 
my  life. 


446  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

In  a  few  weeks  from  the  time  of  the  amputation  I  was 
able  to  get  out  a  little,  and  pruned  a  few  trees.  From  that 
time  on  I  worked,  though  it  was  under  many  difficulties, 
till  I  had  pruned  my  nursery  of  ten  thousand  trees,  and 
had  given  them  necessary  care.  I  was  able  to  be  present 
at  the  ceremonies  at  the  entrance  of  the  railway  into  Salt 
Lake  City,  January  10,  1S70.  During  the  succeeding  two 
years  I  attended  to  my  nursery,  also  traveled  and  lectured 
on  my  experiences  and  preached  as  a  home  missionary, 
from  Paris,  Idaho,  on  the  north,  to  St.  George,  Utah,  on 
the  south.  In  the  summer  of  1871,  while  working  in  mv 
orchard,  I  w  as  overcome  by  heat,  having  a  slight  sunstroke, 
some  of  the  effects  of  which  have  never  left  me.  Still  mv 
health  was  better  than  before  my  limb  was  amputated,  and 
with  crutches  I  got  along  fairly  well. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  447 


CHAPTER   XL. 

I  AI.LED  ON  A  MISSION  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES— JOURNEY  EASTWARD 
—VISIT  RELATIVES  EN  ROUTE— REACH  NEW  YORK-MEASURED 
FOR  AN  ARTIFICIAL  LIMB— HOW  IT  WAS  PAID  FOR— VISIT  AND 
PREACH  — MEET  POOB  ENCOURAGEMENT  —  GO  TO  BOSTON  — 
WORLD'S  PEACE  JUBILEE— BUNKER  HILL— AGAIN  AT  NEW  YORK 
—RELEASED  TO  RETURN  HOME— BACK  IN  UTAH— TRAVELING  AND 
PREACHING— BENT  FOR  BY  PRESIDENT  rOUNG— CALLED  ON  A 
MISSION  TO  ARIZONA— DIRECTED  TO  FURNISH  NAMES  OF  OTHERS 
—SEND  THE  LIST— PRESIDENT  YOUNG  ADDS  OTHER  NAMES— SET 
APART  FOB    OUB    MISSION— DIFFICULT    TO    COLLECT    MONEY  DUE 

ME— LEAVE  MY  FAMILY  ] ELY    PROVIDED    FOB    HIT    TRUSTING 

IN  THE  LORD— PLACED  IN  CHARGE  OF  THE  MISSION— LETTER  OF 
INSTRUCTIONS— START  SOUTH— PEOPLE  CONTRIBUTE  LIBERALLY 
— TRAVELING  IN  STORM  — ARRIVE  AT  KANAB-IN  ARIZONA— A 
HARD  JOURNEY- MARRIAGE  OF  MY  DAUGHTER— REACH  LEE'S 
FERRY  ON  THE  COLORADO— <  ROSSLNG  THE  RIVER— REACH  MOAN- 
COPPY  WASH— DECIDE  TO  WINTER  Til  ERE—  EXPLORE  THE  VICIN- 
ITY—MEET FRIENDLY  INDIAN-— BUILDINo  A  HOUSE— EXPLORING 
THE    LITTLE    COLORADO— A     DIFFICULT     TRIP— DESCRIPTION     OF 

THE    ROUTE-FIND    A    PLACE    FOB    ANOTHER    SETTLEMENT AN 

FRAM  [SCO  MOUNTAINS— FINE  FOREST  GROWTH— CAUGHT  IN  DEEP 
SNOW— THROUGH  WITH  A  PERILOUS  JOURNEY— DECIDE  TO  RE- 
TURN TO  SALT  LAKE  CITY  AND  REPORT— HEAVY  SNOW-TRIP 
HOMEWARD— -CORDIALLY  (.REELED  BY  PRESIDENT  YOUNG— WITH 
MY  FAMILY. 

ON  the  8th  of  April,  1872,  at  the  general  conference  of 
the  Church  in  Salt  Lake  City,  I  was  called  on  a  mis- 
sion to  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States,  and  hastened 
to  settle  my  business  preparatory  to  my  departure.  )  At  5 
p.  m.  on  May  1st  I  left  Salt  Lake  City,  going  by  train  to 
Ogden,  and  then  east.  There  were  about  twenty-five  other 
Elders  in  the  company.  My  companion  in  the  Pullman  car 
was  Moroni  Brown,  of  Ogden.  On  reaching  Missouri 
Valley  Junction.  Iowa.  I  stopped  over  with  my  brother- 
in-law,  B.  H.  Dennis.     On  May  4th,  I  went  to  Calhoun  and 


448  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

preached  in  the  schoolhouse;  returned  to  Missouri  Valley 
Junction  on  the  6th,  preaching  in  the  courthouse.  My  father 
paid  the  expense  of  securing  the  last-named  building. 

I  continued  my  journey  on  the  7tn>  going  by  way  of 
Chicago,  Philadelphia,  Newark  and  Jersey  City,  to  New 
York.  There  we  met  with  Elder  Wm.  C.  Staines,  and  on 
the  1 2th  went  with  him  to  Brooklyn.  On  the  13th  I  was 
measured  at  Mr.  Hudson's,  696  Broadway,  New  York,  for 
an  artificial  limb.  The  way  I  came  to  do  this  was  through 
Leonard  Wines,  of  Salt  Lake  City.  Mr.  Wines  and  I  had 
been  good  friends  in  our  younger  days.  In  later  years  he 
had  made  some  money  on  the  mail  line  west,  and  meeting 
me  one  day  on  the  train  the  idea  struck  him  that  I  ought  to 
have  an  artificial  leg.  The  result  was  that  he  and  some 
friends  whom  he  called  on  raised  the  necessary  amount  to 
pay  for  it,  which  sum  he  presented  to  me,  telling  of  his 
purpose.  Naturally  I  had  a  high  appreciation  of  his  kind- 
ness. It  was  on  May  27th  that  I  received  the  artificial 
limb. 

We  obtained  lodgings  with  Brother  Isaac  Elkington 
and  family,  and  visited  and  preached  where  we  could.  We 
met  very  little  encouragement  from  the  people.  On  June 
13th  we  left  for  Boston  on  a  steamer  of  the  Neptune  Line, 
going  first  to  Providence,  from  which  place  we  went  by 
rail  to  Boston,  and  thence  to  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  At  the 
latter  place  I  visited  my  father-in-law,  Thomas  Lester. 

On  the  17th  of  June  we  were  at  the  World's  Peace 
Jubilee,  in  Boston,  and  also  visited  Bunker  Hill  and  mingled 
with  the  vast  assemblage  there.  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  home 
of  Thomas  Lester,  Jr.,  about  fifteen  miles  out  from  Boston, 
on  the  18th,  and  then  returned  to  New  York,  where,  on 
the  19th,  we  met  President  George  A.  Smith  of  the  First 
Presidency  of  the  Church.  He  told  us  we  were  at  liberty 
to  return  home,  as  the  antagonism  was  so  great  that  there 
was  no  chance  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the   people  at  that 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  449 

time.  That  evening  we  filled  an  appointment  at  Paterson. 
N.  J.,  staying  at  the  home  of  W.  Dover  till  the  23rd.  when 
we  returned  to  New  York. 

Having  been  released  from  our  mission,  owing  to  the 
indifference  of  the  people,  we  started  home  the  first  of  July. 
For  some  three  years  after  my  return  I  traveled  and  preached 
as  I  had  done  formerly,  in  southern  Idaho,  western  Wyom- 
ing and  northern  Utah. 

On  Wednesday  evening.  September  29.  1S75,  on  re~ 
turning  from  a  preaching  tour  in  the  northern  part  of  Utah 
County,  I  was  informed  by  my  family  that  President  Young 
had  sent  for  me  to  do  some  interpreting  in  the  Navajo  lan- 
guage. I  had  met  the  Navajo  Indians  going  away  from  his 
office,  and  as  I  knew  my  presence  was  not  necessary  then, 
and  as  I  was  quite  ill  with  a  nervous  headache,  I  did  not  go 
up  till  next  day. 

Going  to  see  President  Young,  I  met  him  in  front  of 
his  office,  in  his  carriage.  He  said  he  had  wanted  me  to 
talk  with  the  Navajos,  but  I  was  too  late,  for  they  were 
gone,  '-but,"  said  he,  ;,I  knew  you  had  the  spirit  of  it."  He 
then  drove  off,  and  his  private  secretary,  Elder  George 
Reynolds,  invited  me  into  the  office,  saying  the  President 
wanted  to  see  me  particularly  on  missionary  business.  At 
this  I  went  inside  and  waited.  Soon  the  President  came  in 
and  after  speaking  to  some  others  who  were  waiting  for 
him,  came  to  me  and  said,  "'Oh,  Brother  James,  that  1  could 
see  you  as  I  have  seen  you,  strong  and  active!  I  should 
like  to  send  you  on  a  mission  to  those  Indians,  for  you  are 
just  the  man  to  go  there  with  a  few  other  good  men.  The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  them  and  they  need  a  few  men 
among  them  who  will  teach  them  the  truth." 

To  this  statement  I  replied  that  I  was  unable  to  endure 
hardships  and  exposure  as  I  had  done,  for  my  health  was 
very  poor  and  I  was  not  able  to  wait  on  myself  in  camp 
life.     I  stated,  however,  that   what   the   Spirit  of  the  Lord 


45°  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

directed  through  him  I  was  willing  to  try  to  do  to  the  best 
of  my  ability;  and  added,  ''You  know  where  to  find  me;  I 
am  just  where  I  always  have  been,  on  hand." 

President  Young  then  said.  uBless  your  soul,  the  Spirit 
does  and  has  dictated  to  me  all  the  time  to  send  you  to  take 
charge  of  a  mission  in  that  country.  You  are  just  the  man 
for  it,  and  if  I  had  sent  you  before,  we  would  have  had  a 
mission  and  settlements  there  now.  I  think  that  if  we  fit 
you  up  with  a  good  spring  wagon  or  carriage,  and  some 
good  brethren  to  wait  on  you,  that  you  can  go.  Just  get  a 
list  of  names  of  good  men,  and  hand  them  to  me — a  list  of 
men  that  will  stand  by  you,  but  none  of  your  babies.  I  want 
good  men  to  go  with  you  on  this  mission,  so  hand  me  a  list 
of  names." 

When  the  conversation  ended,  I  returned  home,  and 
after  much  thought  and  prayer  for  the  guidance  of  the  Lord, 
wrote  the  following  names,  my  own  at  the  head  of  the  list: 
Daniel  B.  Roson,  John  C.  Thompson,  Seth  B.  Tanner, 
Morton  P.  Mortenson,  Bengt  Jenson,  Hans  Funk,  Ernest 
Tietjens  and  John  Davies.  The  latter  got  excused,  and 
President  Young  added  the  following:  Andrew  L.  Gib- 
bons, Luther  C.  Burnham,  Thales  H.  Haskell,  Ira  Hatch, 
Warren  M.Johnson  and  William  H.  Gibbons.  These  were 
called  on  a  mission  October  9,  1S75,  at  the  general  confer- 
ence. On  Monday,  October  nth,  we  were  set  apart  for 
our  mission. 

I  found  some  difficulty  in  collecting  debts  due  me,  over 
a  thousand  dollars  altogether,  so  that  I  could  not  get  enough 
to  fit  me  out  comfortably  nor  to  provide  for  my  family. 
Still  I  was  determined  to  go.  When  it  came  to  parting 
from  my  family,  it  was  hard  to  leave  them,  with  only  ten 
days'  supply  of  fuel  and  less  than  fifty  pounds  of  flour  in  the 
house,  and  not  knowing  where  the  next  would  come  from. 
It  seemed  as  if  they  could  not  endure  the  separation  when 
they  saw  me  fitted  out  so  poorly.     But   I   blessed  them  in 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  45 1 

the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  told  them  that  if  they  would  live 
their  religion  they  would  not  suffer  so  much  want  when  I 
was  away  as  if  I  had  stayed  home.  Then  we  separated 
sorrowfully,  and  on  October  30th  I  went  by  train  to  Provo. 
Some  of  the  company  had  preceded  me  a  day  or  two.  1 
had  in  the  meantime  received  much  personal  instruction 
from  President  Young,  and  was  given  the  following  letter: 

'•Salt  Lake  City,  U.  T.,  October  28,  1875. 
-Elder  James  S.  Broun.  Salt  Lake  City: 

f  "Dear  Brother: — You  are  hereby  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  the  mission  about  to  go  south  and  southeast  of 
the  Colorado  River. 

••It  will  become  your  duty  to  found  settlements  in  suit- 
able locations,  where  the  brethren  can  congregate  in  culti- 
vating the  earth  to  bring  forth  substance  for  the  families  of 
the  brethren  who  may  feel  disposed  to  join  you. 

••You  will  work  in  harmony  with  other  brethren  who 
are  now  in  the  south  building  up  new  locations,  and  will  in 
all  things  seek  the  welfare  of  those  associated  with  you,  and 
the  building  up  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

"In  the  formation  of  settlements,  and  in  all  circum- 
stances that  may  arise  on  your  mission,  you  will  seek  the 
wisdom  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  and  be  guided  by  its 
whisperings  in  all  things  from  day  to  day. 

"The  brethren  with  whom  you  are  associated  are  coun- 
seled to  act  under  your  directions,  that  the  spirit  of  union 
and  concert  of  action  may  characterize  all  your  movements. 
And  we  call  upon  all  men  unto  whom  you  shall  come  to  aid 
and  assist  you  according  to  their  ability  in  promoting  so 
good  and  glorious  a  cause  as  settling  this  rugged  new, 
country. 

"We  would  counsel  you,  if  you  will  do  it,  to  sustain 
each  other  as  brethren,  and  work  together  in  the  holy  order 
that  God  has  revealed. 


452  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

-•We  pray  God  our  Heavenly  Father  to  bless  and  pros- 
per you  and  to  make  you  instrumental  in  accomplishing 
much  good  to  those  with  whom  you  are  called  upon  to  as- 
sociate, and  to  labor  for  on  this  mission,  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ.     Amen. 

"Your  brethren  in  the  Gospel, 

"Brigham  Young, 
"Daniel  H.  Wells, 
"First  Presidency  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints." 

From  Provo  I  got  a  ride  with  a  team  to  Spanish  Fork, 
where,  on  Sunday,  October  31st,  I  preached  to  the  people, 
having  great  liberty  of  the  Spirit.  Then  Bishop  Snell  asked 
the  people  for  a  contribution  and  they  responded  liberally, 
raising  twenty-two  sacks  of  flour,  twenty-six  bushels  of  pota- 
toes, and  thirteen  dollars  in  money.  That  night  I  went  on  to 
Salem  and  preached,  and  also  received  a  small  donation 
from  the  people.  I  next  went  to  Payson,  where  I  preached 
on  Monday  evening,  and  where  the  people  subscribed  lib- 
eral^, so  that  I  had  thirty-three  dollars  in  currency,  fifty 
sacks  of  flour,  and  twenty-six  bushels  of  potatoes.  Thus 
my  words  to  my  destitute  family  were  fulfilled,  and  they 
were  provided  for  as  well  as  myself. 

At  Payson  I  met  some  of  my  missionary  companions, 
and  we  moved  on  southward.  Others  joined  us  on  the 
journey,  and  on  November  9th  we  reached  Salina,  where 
we  pitched  our  tent  and  I  camped  out  for  the  first  time  on 
our  trip.  At  Richfield  we  received  contributions  of  pro- 
visions, and  again  at  Panguitch.  Much  of  our  journey  be- 
tween these  two  places  was  in  storm — rain  and  snow — and 
was  far  from  comfortable.  On  the  18th  we  crossed  the 
rim  of  the  Great  Basin.  We  reached  Kanab  on  the  20th, 
where  we  were  joined  by  the  four  brethren  who  had  been 
called  from  the  southern  settlements. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  453 

I  left  Kanab  on  November  22nd,  going  to  Navajo 
Wells.  Before  leaving  Kanab  I  had  telegraphed  to  Presi- 
dent Young,  written  to  my  family,  and  arranged  with  Bishop 
L.  ]ohn  Nut  tall  to  have  our  mail  sent  after  us  as  soon  as 
possible.  At  Navajo  Wells  I  joined  our  party,  and  next 
day  we  went  on  to  the  Buckskin  Mountains,  making  dry 
camp  that  night.  On  the  24th  we  reached  House  Rock 
Spring,  where  we  were  overtaken  with  letters  from  home. 

1  had  one  from  my  eldest  daughter.  Lydia  Jane,  stating  that 
she  was  to  be  married  to  Homer  Manley  Brown  on  Novem- 
ber 22nd.  It  had  been  arranged  before  I  left  home  that 
the  wedding  was  to  take  place  this  month. 

We  traveled  steadilv  on,  the  country  being  dry  and  for- 
bidding. Our  beef  cattle  having  run  off.  Ira  Hatch  and 
Luther  C.  Burnham  went  to  find  them.  Burnham  brought 
them  into  camp  at  Badger  Creek,   on   the    26th,  but  it  was 

2  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  27th  when  Ira  Hatch  got 
in  from  his  fruitless  search.  That  day  we  went  on  to  Lee's 
Ferry,  on  the  Colorado  River.  We  had  sent  two  men  ahead 
to  arrange  for  us  to  be  ferried  over  the  river,  but  they  re- 
ported that  it  was  not  possible  to  cross  that  night.  I  thought 
differently,  and  as  it  was  Saturday,  I  determined  to  get  over. 
Some  of  the  party  objected  and  some  were  willing,  and  this 
division  delayed  our  crossing  with  the  wagons  till  about  10 
p.  m.;  but  we  were  safely  over  the  stream.  Next  day  our 
animals  were  ferried  over.  At  the  ferry,  Mrs.  Lee  was  out 
of  provisions,  and  we  helped  her  to  some,  and  also  gave  her 
ten  dollars,  of  which  I  contributed  two  dollars.  Next  morn- 
ing she  sent  me  a  Navajo  blanket  and  a  cotton  handker- 
chief. 

We  left  Lee's  Crossing  on  November  29th,  and  con- 
tinued over  a  dry,  rough,  difficult  road  till  December  3rd, 
when  we  reached  Moancoppy,  the  pleasantest  spot  we  had 
seen  since  before  arriving  at  Kanab.  I  was  impressed  to 
make  this   place  winter   quarters,  and  designated   a  site  for 


454  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

a  fort.  We  were  all  pleased  to  have  a  rest  from  traveling, 
as  our  feed  had  given  out  and  our  stock  was  sick  with  the 
epizootic.  Near  this  place  there  were  some  old  Indian 
farms  and  a  few  stone  huts  laid  up  without  mortar,  but  all 
had  been  deserted.     There  were  also'some  springs  near  by. 

The  morning  after  we  had  camped  there,  a  small  hunt- 
ing party  of  Navajos  came  in,  and  after  we  had  given  them 
their  breakfast  they  smoked  their  cOrn-husk  cigarettes  and 
departed.  A.  S.  Gibbons,  Ira  Hatch  and  I  examined  the 
country  around  Moancoppy,  and  found  a  few  ponds  of  water 
and  a  good  place  for  a  reservoir  to  catch  the  spring  rains; 
we  also  discovered  a  fertile  spot  of  a  few  acres,  and  two 
small  springs.  December  5th  was  Sunday.  We  held  a 
meeting,  and  all  our  company,  thirteen  in  number,  expressed 
themselves  as  feeling  well  and  zealous  in  our  missions. 

On  Monday  we  explored  the  vicinity,  but  found  nothing 
inviting  outside  the  neighborhood  of  our  camp,  where  we 
all  were  satisfied  a  missionary  station  should  be  built,  as  it 
was  the  best  we  could  do.  We  went  to  work  getting  tim- 
ber and  doing  other  necessary  work,  my  part  being  to  guard 
against  hostile  Indians.  T.  H.  Haskell  and  Ira  Hatch,  our 
interpreters,  went  to  the  Oriba  Indian  village,  some  fifty 
miles  away.  On  their  return  they  reported  all  was  peace- 
ful; they  were  accompanied  by  Chief  Tuba  and  his  wife 
Telassinimki,  who  were  highly  pleased  to  see  their  old  Mor- 
mon friends. 

On  the  8th  we  laid  out  a  house  twenty  by  forty  feet 
and  twelve  feet  high,  to  be  built  of  stone.  Our  beef  cattle 
having  become  very  wild,  we  had  to  kill  them  and  cure  the 
meai. 

J.  C.  Thompson,  Ira  Hatch,  S.  B.  Tanner,  L.  C.  Burn- 
ham  and  I  started  on  December  9th  on  an  exploring  trip  up 
the  Little  Colorado  River  and  around  the  San  Francisco 
Mountains.  When  we  had  gone  twelve  miles,  breaking  the 
road  through  the  canyon,  we  were  glad  to  find  some  pools 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  455 

of  water,  and  to  rest  for  the  night.  Next  day  we  came  to 
the  Little  Colorado  River  from  forty  to  fifty  miles  above  its 
mouth.  The  river  bottom  was  about  half  a  mile  wide,  and 
the  water  very  low.  We  continued  up  the  river  to  the  Black 
Falls,  where  the  stream  passes  over  a  ledge  of  volcanic  rock 
twelve  or  fourteen  feet  high.  Four  miles  farther  up  it  ran 
through  a  very  narrow  gorge,  and  we  had  to  pass  over  the 
hills  through  deep  sand,  which  our  team  found  it  very  diffi- 
cult to  cross. 

Fifteen  miles  farther  on  we  came  to  Grand  Falls,  where 
the  river  runs  over  shelving  rocks  for  eighty  to  a  hundred 
feet.  Higher  up  the  stream  the  bottoms  widened  out,  in 
some  places  to  four  miles,  the  timber  was  better  and  the 
Stream  was  larger.  We  killed  two  antelope  and  dried  the 
meat.  Our  forward  journey  continued  to  the  old  Beel  trail, 
then  on  to  Sunset  Crossing  and  the  old  Prescott  road.  Seven 
miles  above  was  a  mail  station,  and  there,  at  9  o'clock  on 
the  night  of  Friday,  December  17th,  the  mail  carriers  met, 
and  we  learned  some  general  news  from  them.  Next  day 
we  traveled  fifteen  miles  farther,  to  where  some  Mexican 
herders  were  camped  with  about  four  thousand  sheep.  The 
water  in  the  river  had  improved  in  quantity  and  quality,  and 
the  surroundings  were  such  that  we  felt  we  could  recom- 
mend it  as  a  place  for  settlement.  We  were  also  impressed 
to  return  to  Moancoppy,  and  started  on  that  journey  on  the 
19th.  We  changed  our  course  and  took  more  to  the  hill 
country,  heading  for  the  San  Francisco  Mountains. 

The  return  trip  was  very  hard.  We  saw  plenty  of 
timber — the  finest  forest  growth  I  ever  beheld.  On  De- 
cember 24th,  when  crossing  the  divide  between  the  San 
Francisco  Mountains  and  Mount  Hendrick,  we  encountered 
a  terrific  snowstorm,  and  had  to  camp  for  the  night.  Next 
day  we  continued  on  our  way,  making  slow  progress  in  the 
deep  snow.  We  passed  below  the  snow  line  on  a  very 
rough  country,  where  sometimes,  with  brake  set,  it  took  the 


456  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

four  of  us  all  we  could  do  to  keep  the  wagon  right  side  up. 
We  were  thankful  to  reach  the  river  on  the  28th  and  Moan- 
coppy  on  the   29th. 

At  a  brief  consultation  that  day.  it  was  decided  that  I 
should  return  to  Salt  Lake  City  and  report  to  President 
Young  the  result  of  our  explorations.  Next  day  the  band- 
aging of  my  artificial  leg  gave  way  and  T.  H.  Haskell  re- 
paired it.  On  New  Year's  Day,  1876,  J.  C.  Thompson,  W. 
H.  Gibbons  and  I  set  out  for  Kanab,  where  we  arrived  on 
January  6th. 

I  requested  Bishop  Nuttall  to  forward  me  to  Order- 
ville,  which  he  did.  From  there  Bishop  H.  O.  Spencer 
took  his  team  and  conveyed  me  to  Panguitch.  We  met  a 
heavy  snowstorm  on  the  road,  the  snow  on  the  rim  of  the 
Basin  being  up  to  the  wagonbox.  From  Panguitch  I  was 
forwarded  to  Monroe,  where  I  telegraphed  President  Young 
that  I  would  be  in  the  city  by  January  15th.  I  was  ad- 
vanced by  team  from  there  to  the  railroad,  where  a  pass 
sent  by  President  Young  was  ready  for  me,  and  I  arrived 
in  Salt  Lake  City  and  reported  to  him  at  6  p.  m.  on  the 
14th.  At  the  railway  station  I  was  met  by  my  children  and 
the  neighbors  and  two  vehicles.  If  I  had  been  President 
Young's  own  son  he  could  not  have  received  me  more 
cordially  than  he  did  when  I  reached  his  office.  After  our 
conversation  I  returned  home,  where  my  folks  thought  I 
should  have  gone  first;  but  they  were  overjoyed  to  see  me, 
as  I  was  to  see  them,  all  in  good  health  and  well  provided 
for.  We  were  highly  gratified  to  realize  that  the  Lord  had 
heard  and  answered  our  prayers. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  457 


CHAPTER  LXI. 

ATTEND  MEETINGS  WITH  THE  FIEST  PRESIDENCY  AND  APOSTLES— MORE 
MISSIONARIES  CALLED  TO  ARIZONA— MANY  INQUIRIES  REGARDING 
THE  MISSION— OUTLINE  THE  ROUTE— PREPARATIONS  FOR  TRAVEL 
—START  SOUTH— AIDED  BY  CONTRIBUTIONS— REACH  MOENCOPPY 
-MEET  LOT  SMITH  AND  COMPANY— BAPTISMS-START  FOR  THE 
LITTLE  COLORADO  RIVER— GUIDE  MISSIONARY  COMPANIES  TO 
THE  PLAGE  WE  HAD  SELECTED  FOR  SETTLEMENT— LOT  SMITH 
REFUSES  TO  ACKNOWLEDGE  MY  APPOINTMENT  FROM  PRESIDENT 
YOUNG  AS  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  MISSION— HE  ASSUMES  LEADER- 
SHIP AT  THE  NEW  SETTLEMENT— I  RETURN  WITH  MY  PARTY  TO 
MOENCOPPY— OTHER  COMPANIES  OF  MISSIONARY  SETTLERS  SUS- 
TAIN MY  PBESTDEN4  V—  MY  HEALTH  IS  POOR— SETTLERS  DISCOUR- 
AGED—CHEEB  THEM  UP— WORK  OF  FRONTIER  LD7E— SUCCOR  A 
COMPANY  WHOSE  WATER  SUPPLY  IS  EXHAUSTED— TAKING  UP 
LAND— MAKE  A  PONG  EXPLORING  TRIP-INTRODUCE  BOOK  OF 
MoUMON  TO  NAYA.JOS— RETURN  TO  MOENCOPPY— INDIANS  DIS- 
SATISFIED— GO  TO  -ALT  LAKE  (ITY  WITH  A  DELEGATION  OF  NA- 
VAJO  CHIEF! — Till  Mi  SUPPOSED  GRIEVANCES  -ETTLED-TELL 
PRESIDENT  YOUNG  I  DANE  COME  HOME  TO  BTAY— HE  SENDS  ME 
OUT  AGAIN— DIRECTED  TO  PROCURE  VOLUNTEERS-LETTER  OF 
INSTRUCTIONS—  LECTURE,  AND  TAKE  UP  CONTRIBUTIONS— RE- 
TURN HOME— MY  FAMILY  DLL— PROVIDE  SUPPLIES  FOR  THEM— 
CONDITIONS  [MPROVE. 

MY  stay  at  home  lasted  till  January  30,  1876.  I  at- 
tended several  meetings  with  the  First  Presidency, 
the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  other  leading  brethren  in  the 
Church.  They  were  consulting  as  to  the  best  means  of 
colonizing  that  part  of  Arizona  we  had  been  exploring,  and 
two  hundred  missionaries  were  called  to  go  there  and  settle 
the  country.  Scores  of  visitors  also  came  to  my  house  to 
inquire  regarding  my  travels  and  the  place  where  I  had 
been.  I  went  over  to  Apostle  John  Taylor's  house  on  in- 
vitation, and  there  George  Goddard  reported  our  conversa- 
tion, as  I  was   requested  to  outline  the   route   to   Arizona, 

29 


458  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

which   outline   was    afterwards   published    in    the    Deseret 
News.     During  my  stay  I  also  made  a  brief  visit  to  Ogden. 

As  the  time  drew  near  for  me  to  start  south  again, 
President  Young  loaned  me  a  team  and  light  wagon  to 
travel  with.  He  also  advised  me  to  find  a  boy  about  six- 
teen years  old  to  go  with  and  wait  on  me.  I  was  thinking 
of  how  I  should  follow  this  counsel,  when  John  Reid- 
head,  who  was  one  of  those  called  to  the  Arizona  mission, 
came  in  and  proffered  his  son — an  offer  I  was  pleased  to 
accept.  On  Friday,  January  28,  Brother  Reidhead  and  son 
started  south  with  my  team  and  baggage. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  Sunday,  January  30,  I  took 
leave  of  my  family,  and  went  by  train  to  Spanish  Fork, 
making  an  appointment  at  Springville  as  I  passed.  I  was 
met  at  the  station  at  Spanish  Fork,  and  conveyed  to  the 
meetinghouse,  where  I  addressed  the  congregation.  That 
evening  I  returned  to  Springville  and  filled  the  appointment 
there.  Next  morning  I  was  met  by  Brother  Reidhead  and 
son,  and  proceeded  to  Payson.  I  had  had  raised  for  me, 
by  subscription,  a  span  of  small  mules,  so  I  sent  back  Presi- 
dent Young's  team  and  harness,  and  went  on  my  journey, 
preaching  almost  every  evening  in  one  or  other  town  on 
the  way.  We  were  treated  very  kindly.  Our  route  lay 
through  Fillmore,  Beaver,  Parowan,  Cedar  City,  Toquer- 
ville,  and  on  to  Kanab,  which  we  reached  February  23, 
finding  Bishop  Nuttall  quite  ill.  We  made  our  home  at 
Bishop  Levi  Stewart's. 

On  March  2nd  we  set  out  from  Kanab,  and  reached 
Moencoppy  on  the  8th,  where  we  found  all  well.  The 
building  constructed  by  the  settlers  was  so  far  completed 
as  to  protect  us  comfortably  from  storm  and  cold;  and  a 
dam  had  been  constructed,  with  a  water  ditch  three  miles 
long,  giving  us  quite  a  reservoir.  Plowing  also  had  been 
begun,  though  the  weather  was  very  disagreeable. 

On  the  nth,  J.  C.  Thompson  and  A.  S.  Gibbons  went 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  459 

to  meet  Lot  Smith  and  a  company  coming  from  Utah.  On 
Sunday,  the  12th,  we  held  meeting,  and  a  young  man 
named  Franklin  D.  Gillespie,  who  had  fallen  in  with  us, 
desired  to  be  baptized  into  the  Church,  as  did  Lv  and  his 
wife,  two  of  the  Oriba  Indians.  The  ordinance  was  attended 
to,  and  I  also  ordained  the  chief,  Tuba,  a  Priest. 

During  the  next  three  days  I  arranged  affairs  of  the 
company,  some  of  the  men  being  directed  to  locate  springs, 
to  act  as  guides  to  the  companies  coming,  attend  to  our 
mail,  etc.,  and  on  the  15th,  with  S.  B.  Tanner,  Ira  Hatch, 
and  J.  B.  Reidhead,  set  out  with  six  mules  and  a  light 
wagon  to  search  a  road  for  vehicles  between  Moencoppy 
and  the  Oriba  village.  Hans  Funk  and  E.  Tietjens,  with 
a  four-horse  team,  went  to  the  top  of  the  hill  to  haul  water 
for  our  animals,  and  from  there  our  party  proceeded  along 
the  Indian  trail  three  or  four  miles,  then  struck  out  over 
the  trackless,  sandy  plain,  to  avoid  rugged  buttes  and  deep 
gulches  that  rendered  the  trail  impracticable  for  wagons. 
We  went  on  about  fourteen  miles,  and  camped  in  the  sand; 
I  was  quite  ill. 

Next  day  we  traveled  about  twenty-five  miles  in  a 
southeasterly  direction,  over  sandhills  and  up  a  long  wash, 
to  a  divide,  where  we  made  dry  camp.  We  met  four  hunt- 
ing parties,  and  two  of  the  hunters  camped  with  us.  The 
following  morning  we  went  on  seven  miles,  to  the  pools  of 
water  where  the  Oribas  were  camped  with  their  flocks  of 
sheep  and  goats.  Each  flockmaster  stood  guard  over  his 
animals,  for  his  turn  to  get  at  the  pools.  We  passed  on 
three  miles  to  the  Oriba  village,  located  on  the  crest  of  a 
steep  bluff.  The  houses  were  built  close  together,  and 
there  were  about  five  hundred  inhabitants.  Those  Indians 
obtained  all  their  water  from  a  well  about  a  mile  distant, 
and  the  carrying  of  the  precious  liquid  was  going  on  day 
and  night,  while  the  Indians  were  praying  continually  for 
more  water. 


460  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Leaving  the  Oriba  village,  we  proceeded  onward  over 
a  rough  and  sandy  country,  reaching  the  Mohave  Springs, 
where  the  Hopees  water  their  stock,  on  the  18th.  That 
night  we  experienced  a  fearful  windstorm.  On  the  20th 
we  came  to  the  Little  Colorado  River,  and  on  the  23rd 
arrived  at  the  place  selected  on  my  first  trip  for  a  settle- 
ment. Between  this  time  and  my  previous  visit  five  houses 
had  been  built  there,  so  our  purpose  was  interfered  with  a 
little.  Next  day  we  chose  a  place  for  the  pioneer  camp, 
and  S.  B.  Tanner  and  I  started  back  to  meet  the  company 
from  Utah  which  was  to  occupy  the  locality  as  a  settlement, 
and  which  had  been  following  us  closely.  We  met  the 
newcomers  that  day,  and  returned  to  the  site  that  had  been 
chosen. 

It  was  at  this  place  that  the  first  disagreement  in  the 
expedition  occurred.  Captains  Smith,  Lake  and  Allen  had 
charge  of  three  sections  of  the  company.  I  invited  them 
and  others  to  a  meeting  to  consult  over  what  should  be 
done,  and  there  presented  to  them  my  letter  of  instructions 
from  President  Young  and  my  appointment  as  president  of 
the  mission.  Captain  Lot  Smith  opposed  my  presidency, 
and  Captains  Lake  and  Allen  failed  to  give  me  support. 
Things  were  not  pleasant,  and  the  meeting  was  dismissed. 
Next  day  matters  in  camp  were  in  a  rather  confused  con- 
dition. 

The  succeeding  day  was  Sunday,  March  26th.  Lot 
Smith  called  a  meeting,  and  invited  me  to  speak.  I  re- 
counted what  we  had  done  in  searching  out  and  selecting 
this  place  for  settlement,  and  welcomed  the  company  to  it; 
I  also  gave  information  and  instruction  concerning  the 
country.  When  I  finished,  Lot  Smith  assumed  charge  of 
the  meeting,  and  paid  no  further  attention  to  me.  Next 
day  I  invited  him,  and  also  Major  Ladd,  to  take  a  walk 
with  me.  They  came,  and  I  asked  Brother  Smith  what  he 
intended  doing.      He  replied  that  he  was  going  ahead  inde- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  461 

pendent  of  me.  I  told  him  he  had  insulted  me  and  trampled 
upon  my  God-given  right,  through  President  Young,  who 
had  appointed  me  to  preside  over  the  Arizona  mission,  and 
if  he  would  persist  in  doing  wrong  he  must  bear  the  re- 
sponsibility. He  was  very  defiant,  so  we  separated.  I 
called  Brother  G.  Lake,  who  had  informed  me  that  Lot 
Smith  seemed  to  think  he  was  in  charge  of  the  companies 
but  he  (Lake)  knew  it  was  my  place  and  would  sustain 
me.  I  told  him  he  had  betrayed  my  confidence,  for  when  it 
came  to  the  test  he  had  failed  to  keep  his  word.  I  advised 
him  to  think  the  matter  over,  and  as  I  had  decided  to  return 
at  once  to  Moencoppy,  our  party  bade  good-bye  to  the  new- 
comers, and  we  started.     This  was  on  March  27th. 

On  the  3o;h  we  reached  the  lower  crossing  of  the 
river,  and  camped,  the  stream  being  too  much  swollen  to 
cross.  S.  B.  Tanner  shot  a  deer,  and  by  about  five  hours 
later  he  and  the  others  brought  in  two  more  deer — a  valu- 
able addition  to  our  stock  of  provisions.  By  Saturday, 
April  1st,  the  river  had  fallen,  and  other  companies  having 
come  up,  we  crossed  and  held  a  meeting.  Next  day  another 
meeting  was  convened,  and  I  called  David  E.  Fullmer  to 
return  with  us,  which  he  did.  In  a  meeting  held  at  the  old 
Arizona  camp  on  April  4th,  at  which  there  was  a  large 
number  of  those  who  had  recently  come  from  Utah,  my 
letter  of  instructions  from  President  Young  was  read,  and 
the  brethren  unanimously  sustained  me  as  president  of  the 
mission.  Our  party  continued  the  journey,  and  after  much 
toil  reached  Moencoppy  settlement  on  April  7th.  I  was 
quite  ill  at  this  time. 

We  continued  the  work  necessary  to  establishing  a 
settlement,  but  there  were  so  many  difficulties  that  some 
of  our  company,  which  had  been  increased  by  additions 
from  Utah,  began  to  feel  discouraged.  I  admonished  and 
cheered  them,  causing  them  to  feel  better.  We  also 
arranged    for   some   of  the  company,   in   charge   of  S.   B. 


462  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Tanner,  to  go  up  the  Little  Colorado  River  and  secure 
twenty-three  land  claims  for  us.  This  party  started  on 
Monday,  April  17th.  On  the  22nd  a  Brother  Phillips  came 
from  Moencoppy  and  said  a  small  company  had  reached 
there  without  water,  and  that  their  teams  were  so  exhausted 
that  they  could  not  travel  longer  than  about  noon.  We 
comprehended  their  suffering  condition,  gathered  all  the 
barrels  and  kegs  we  had,  and  rilled  them  with  water — 
about  one  hundred  gallons — and  Brothers  Roson  and 
Thompson  went  to  their  relief.  I  then  made  out  some 
notices  to  put  up,  giving  instructions  so  that  other  compan- 
ies should  not  be  caught  in  the  same  predicament  as  this 
one  had  been. 

From  time  to  time  our  numbers  were  augmented  by 
additions  from  Utah,  many  having  come  in  and  located  at 
the  places  we  had  selected.  Among  those  who  joined  us  at 
Moencoppy  was  my  son-in-law,  H.  O.  Fullmer,  and  my 
daughter,  Rachel  E.  On  the  17th  of  May  the  members  of 
our  settlement  proceeded  up  the  river  to  where  S.  B.  Tan- 
ner and  party  had  taken  up  land  for  us.  There  was  some 
dissatisfaction  in  the  company,  but  after  prayerfully  con- 
sidering the  situation  all  was  made  right.  Then,  on  May 
19th,  Brothers  Tanner,  Haskell  and  I  started  on  an  explor- 
ing trip.  We  were  gone  till  July  3rd,  and  traveled  several 
hundred  miies,  going  north  and  east  through  the  country  of 
the  Navajos,  the  Moquis  and  the  Zunis.  We  saw  the  vil- 
lages of  each,  and  also  many  ancient  ruins.  We  passed 
over  some  good  country,  but  much  of  it  was  very  rough, 
and  our  trip  was  an  arduous  one. 

While  on  this  journey  we  were  traveling  along  the  Rio 
Perco,  a  tributary  of  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte,  when,  on  June 
17th,  as  we  were  following  a  trail  through  a  forest,  an  In- 
dian stepped  out  from  the  edge  of  the  undergrowth,  held 
up  his  hand,  and  said:  "Stop!   Who  are  you,  where  do  you 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  463 

come  from,  where  are  you  going,  and  what  is  your  busi- 
ness in  the  Navajo  country?" 

"We  are  Mormons  from  Utah,"  was  our  response,  in 
Spanish,  the  language  in  which  our  interrogator  had 
spoken. 

"Stop  your  wagon  under  this  tree,"  continued  he,  in- 
dicating a  place,  "and  talk  to  us;  for  we  hear  the  Mormons 
have  the  history  of  our  forefathers.  The  Americans  and 
Spaniards  say  you  claim  this,  but  we  know  they  often  speak 
falsely,  and  we  wish  to  learn  from  your  own  lips  whether 
you  have  such  a  record,  and  how  you  came  by  it.  We 
want  you  to  stop  here  till  our  people  come  together,  and 
you  can  tell  us  the  truth." 

By  this  time  another  Indian  had  presented  himself. 
We  turned  aside  as  ordered,  and  the  first  Navajo  said  to 
the  newcomer:  "Show  these  men  where  water  is." 

Seth  B.  Tanner  and  Thales  H.  Haskell  unhitched  our 
team,  and  led  them  to  drink,  the  Indian  going  as  guide.  I 
was  asked  to  get  out  of  the  wagon,  and  as  I  was  doing  so 
a  large  number  of  Indians  appeared,  coming  from  all  direc- 
tions. Almost  before  I  realized  it,  there  were  two  hundred 
and  fifty  to  three  hundred  Navajos  there,  men,  women  and 
children.  My  chair  was  taken  out  of  the  wagon,  a  blanket 
was  spread  for  me,  and  I  sat  down,  the  Indians  sitting  close 
around.  Two  chiefs,  whom  I  learned  were  Juan  San  Juall 
and  Jualito,  sat  as  near  to  me  as  they  could,  and  one  of 
them  said,  "If  you  have  the  book  of  our  forefathers,  tell  us 
about  God  and  them,  and  how  you  came  by  the  book." 

I  produced  a  copy  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  told 
them  it  was  a  record  of  God's  dealings  with  their  fore- 
fathers, and  explained  to  them  how  it  was  revealed  to  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith  by  an  angel.  As  I  proceeded  to 
tell  what  was  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  tears  came  to  the 
eyes  of  many  in  the  audience,  and  some  of  them  spoke  out, 
"We  know  that  what  you  say  is  true,  for  the  traditions  of 


464  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

our  good  old  men  who  never  told  a  lie  agree  with  your 
story.  Our  forefathers  did  talk  with  God,  and  they  wrote; 
and  when  they  became  wicked  and  went  to  war  they  hid 
up  their  records,  and  we  know  not  where  they  are." 

At  this  point  the  chiefs  and  about  ten  other  leading 
men  rose  up  and  embraced  me,  saying,  "Continue  to  tell  us 
of  God  and  our  forefathers,  for  it  does  our  hearts  good  to 
hear  of  them." 

I  talked  on  for  a  time,  and  when  I  was  through, 
Messrs.  Tanner  and  Haskell,  who  had  listened  to  what  had 
been  going  on,  bore  witness  that  what  I  had  said  was  true. 
We  remained  with  the  Indians  for  dinner,  and  they  wanted 
us  to  stay  longer,  but  we  felt  that  it  was  better  to  proceed  on 
our  journey.  This  meeting,  one  of  the  most  sudden  and 
singular  in  my  experience,  occurred  in  New  Mexico,  about 
thirty  miles  north  of  the  old  mail  route  from  Albuquerque 
westward.  When  it  was  over  we  continued  our  journey 
south  and  west,  turned  west  to  Fort  Wingate,  then  on  to 
Fort  Defiance,  and  through  the  Moquis  villages  to  our 
settlement. 

On  the  day  of  our  return  to  Moencoppy,  July  3rd, 
Brothers  Roson  and  Thompson  came  to  meet  us  with 
barrels  of  wattr — a  relief  that  we  appreciated  greatly.  We 
were  highly  pleased  to  learn  that  all  was  well  in  the  settle- 
ment. 

Soon  after  this  I  released  two  of  the  missionaries  till 
October  1st,  to  visit  their  families  in  Utah,  and  five  others 
till  Notember  1st,  for  the  same  purpose.  During  July  and 
the  early  part  of  August  we  were  engaged  in  tending  and 
gathering  crops,  and  the  work  incident  to  establishing  a 
settlement,  which  was  by  no  means  easy.  We  also  visited 
and  endeavored  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  the  Indians, 
and  for  ourselves  did  so;  but  there  were  some  of  the  Nava- 
jos  who  seemed  bent  on  making  trouble,  and  who  com- 
plained that  the  settlers  on  the  Little  Colorado  had  taken 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  465 

some  of  their  animals.  Finally,  on  August  6th,  we  received 
word  from  the  Indian  council  that  a  delegation  of  chiefs 
would  meet  with  us  in  three  days,  to  accompany  some  of 
us  on  a  visit  to  the  "Mormon  Chief,"  to  settle  the  alleged 
grievances.  Ira  Hatch  and  I  set  out  that  same  evening  to 
meet  the  delegation.  I  took  very  ill,  and  it  was  only 
through  the  best  care  and  with  great  effort  that  I  could 
travel,  but  we  were  determined  not  to  disapppint  the  In- 
dians. I  received  marked  attention  from  Ira  Hatch,  also 
from  J.  D.  Lee  and  wife  at  the  Moenabbey,  and  in  a  few 
hours  was  able  to  move  around  again  as  usual.  We  met 
the  Indians,  and  made  the  journey  north,  reaching  Salt 
Lake  City  on  the  evening  of  August  22nd,  the  Indians 
being  lodged  at  D.  B.  Huntington's  for  the  night. 

Next  day  President  Young  met  the  delegation  in  his 
schoolhouse,  and  talked  over  the  supposed  wrongs  of  the 
Mormon  settlers  to  the  Navajos — for  they  were  only  sup- 
posed, as  it  turned  out.  I  acted  as  interpreter,  using  the 
Spanish  language.  Efforts  had  been  made  to  find  some 
other  interpreter  who  could  talk  the  Navajo  dialect,  but  in 
vain.  Everything  was  made  satisfactory  to  the  red  men, 
who  remained  in  Salt  Lake  City  four  days.  At  this  time 
a  delegation  of  Shoshones  from  Bear  River  came  with 
George  Hill  as  interpreter,  and  these  met  the  Navajos  and 
the  two  tribes  '"buried  the  hatchet."  Then  the  Navajos 
received  a  few  presents  and  returned  to  their  homes. 

I  had  a  conversation  with  President  Young,  in  which 
I  told  him  I  had  come  from  Arizona  not  to  return  unless  he 
ordered  me  to  do  so.  A  few  days  later  he  met  me  and  said 
he  had  been  thinking  over  my  mission.  He  intended  to 
press  onward  in  settling  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  and  as 
I  knew  what  that  country  was,  he  thought  I  had  better 
travel  through  Utah  and  lecture  on  the  prospects  of  the 
work  in  the  southern  mission,  and  also  call  for  volunteers 
to  accompanv   me   in   returning  to   Arizona.     He   told  me 


466  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

further  that  I  was  to  take  up  collections  among  the  Saints  for 
the  support  of  myself  and  family,  and  for  an  outfit  for  my- 
self. In  pursuance  of  these  instructions  he  gave  me  a  letter 
to  the  Bishops  and  other  authorities.  This  document  men- 
tioned my  missionary  labors  in  Arizona,  said  I  was  directed 
to  lecture  among  the  Saints  on  the  mission  work  and  take 
up  contributions,  and  counseled  the  authorities  to  render 
me  assistance  in  harmony  with  the  call  made  of  me.  It 
closed  as  follows: 

''Brother  Brown  is  also  authorized  to  receive  the  names 
of  those  who  are  willing  or  desirous  of  helping  to  build  up 
the  Kingdom  of  God  in  that  region.  We  learn  that  the 
brethren  are  discovering  new  and  desirable  valleys  in  the 
neighborhood  of  their  present  settlements,  and  elsewhere, 
and  it  is  our  intention  to  keep  pushing  out  and  onward  as 
fast  as  prudence  and  the  whisperings  of  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  shall  dictate. 

•  "We  desire  the  active  co-operation  of  our  brethren  in 
this  important  work,  and  shall  be  pleased  to  receive  a 
goodly  list  of  volunteers  through  Brother  Brown,  consist- 
ing of  men  who  love  the  Gospel,  have  faith  in  the  promises 
of  the  Father,  and  have  the  integrity,  determination  and 
zeal  of  true  Latter-day  Saints.  We  have  no  fear  that  too 
many  will  respond  to  this  invitation,  as  the  rich  valleys 
south  and  east  of  the  Colorado  offer  homes  for  hundreds 
of  those  who  desire  to  extend  the  curtains  of  Zion  in  that 
direction. 

"We  are  informed  that  some  of  the  brethren  entertain 
the  idea  that  it  is  better  to  be  called  by  the  authorities  to 
such  missions  than  to  volunteer.  To  such  we  will  quote 
the  saying  of  the  Lord  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  as 
contained  in  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants:  kHe  that  waiteth 
to  be  commanded  in  all  things  is  a  slothful  servant.' 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  467 

"Ever  praying  for  the  welfare  of  Israel,  I  remain  your 
brother  in  the  Gospel, 

"Brigham  Young." 

This  letter  was  dated  September  16,  1876. 

Soon  afterward  I  went  as  directed,  traveling  and  lec- 
turing in  northern  Utah,  with  a  visit  to  Almy,  Wyoming; 
then  worked  my  way  southward  in  the  various  counties,  to 
Richfield.  I  lectured  sixty-five  times,  and  secured  about 
eighty  volunteers,  mostly  from  Sevier  County.  Ira  Hatch 
came  up  with  me  and  at  Richfield  we  separated,  he  taking 
my  team  and  going  to  Kanab,  and  I  returning  home  to  pro- 
vide for  my  family  and  then  rejoin  him  at  the  town  last 
named.  I  found  several  of  my  family  quite  ill,  and  there 
had  been  one  death — my  Aunt  Polly,  who  died  on  Christ- 
mas day,  a  few  days  before  my  arrival  home. 

The  opening  of  the  year  1877  found  me  with  my  fam- 
ily, who  soon  began  to  amend  in  health.  I  was  also  able 
to  supply  them  fairly  well  with  what  they  needed  for  sus- 
tenance during  my  absence,  as  the  Bishops  and  Saints 
whom  I  had  visited  had  been  very  kind  and  liberal,  in  re- 
sponse to  the  invitation  of  President  Young  to  promote 
the  interests  of  the  southern  mission  by  rendering  assist- 
ance to  me  so  I  could  proceed  to  that  field  of  labor. 


468  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER    LXII. 

AGAIN  IN  A  III  ZONA— SETTLING  DIFFICULTIES  AMONG  THE  PEOPLE— OUB 
RESERVOIR  BURSTS— NEWS  OF  NOTABLE  EVENTS— PREPARE  TO 
REPEL  AN  INDIAN  RAID— INDIANS  QUARREL,  AND  THE  TROUBLE 
PASSES  <  >V  EH— Fl  N  ERAL  AT  MOENCOPPY—  EXPLORING  TRIP  TO  THE 
SOUTHEAST— A  WHITE  INDIAN  (  II I LD— MEET  THE  HEAD  CHIEF 
OF  THE  NAVAJOS— HIS  ADDRESS,  AND  PROPOSITION  TO  ACCOM- 
PANY ME  TO  SALT  LAKE  CITY— AGREE  ON  A  DATE  FOR  THE 
JOURNEY— CONTINUE  MY  TRIP  OYER  INTO  NEW  MEXICO,  THEN 
RETURN  TO  MOENCOPPY— ACCUSATION  AGAINST  ME  DISPROVED— 
INDIANS  GATHER  TO  GO  TO  SALT  LAKE  CITY— MAKE  THE  TRIP— 
AT  PRESIDENT  YOUNG'S  DEATHBED— VISIT  OF  THE  INDIANS- 
HONORABLE  RELEASE  FROM  MY  MISSION— RESUME  HOME  MIS- 
SIONARY LABORS— IN  PRISON  FOR  CONSCIENCE  SAKE. 

MY  stay  at  home  was  brief,  and  the  26th  of  January, 
1877,  found  me  again  at  Kanab,  read}7  to  proceed 
southward.  Three  days  later  the  start  was  made,  and  on 
the  morning  of  February  5th  we  reached  Moencoppy.  The 
people  there  were  in  poor  spirits,  and  considerably  dissatis- 
fied. During  my  absence  they  had  sowed  about  fourteen 
acres  of  fall  grain  and  had  built  eight  log  rooms.  On  my 
arrival,  A.  S.  Gibbons  made  complaint  against  S.  B.  Tan- 
ner, for  they  had  had  a  disagreement.  Tanner  was  found 
to  be  in  error,  and  made  the  matter  right. 

This  trouble  settled,  the  work  of  plowing  and  planting 
and  setting  out  trees,  was  proceeded  with.  Friendly  Nav- 
ajo and  Oriba  Indians  visited  us,  and  as  the  United  Order 
was  being  preached  to  the  Church  at  that  time,  I  gave  my 
views  on  the  subject  in  an  address  at  the  Thursday  even- 
ing meeting,  March  8th.  Again  on  Sunday,  the  nth,  I 
preached  to  the  Saints,  telling  them  plainly  the  wrong  that 
was  in  their  neglect  of  duty  and  disaffection.     My  remarks 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  469 

had  quite  a  salutary  effect,  and  matters  moved  more 
smoothly. 

Shortly  after  midnight  on  the  morning  of  March  23rd, 
the  message  was  brought  that  our  reservoir  had  given 
way.  We  hurried  out,  but  had  to  wait  till  daylight  before 
we  could  do  effective  work  in  repairing  the  dam.  In  the 
meantime  the  Indians  were  greatly  excited  because  the 
water  was  injuring  their  crops,  and  we  had  to  pacify  the 
red  men  as  best  we  could,  and  make  good  the  damage. 
Two  days  after  this  my  daughter,  Mrs.  Fullmer,  became  a 
mother,  and  I   rendered  her   necessary   care  and  attention. 

On  March  31st  we  received  mail  with  the  news  of  the 
result  of  the  presidential  election,  when  Hayes  and  Tilden 
were  the  candidates,  also  of  Amasa  M.  Lyman's  death,  and 
of  John  D.  Lee  being  sentenced  to  be  shot.  On  April  4th 
we  received  tidings  of  Lee's  execution. 

Our  time  was  well  occupied  now  with  the  work  around 
the  settlement;  I  also  engaged  in  studying  the  Navajo  lan- 
guage, preparatory  to  an  extended  visit  among  those  In- 
dians. All  went  well  till  May  8th,  when  I  learned  that  the 
Piute  Indians  intended  to  steal  our  animals.  Chief  Patnish 
was  dead,  and  his  people  were  angry.  For  the  first  time 
in  the  history  of  the  mission,  we  called  out  a  guard,  gath- 
ered our  animals  and  property,  and  provided  against  a  raid 
on  the  part  of  the  savages.  We  were  assisted  by  some 
friendly  Navajos.  At  our  inspection  we  ascertained  that  we 
could  fire  eighty-five  shots  without  stopping  to  reload.  On 
the  17th,  two  Piute  Indians  came  in  and  informed  us  that 
a  council  had  been  held  to  discuss  the  raid  on  us,  but  the 
vote  was  six  to  five  against  molesting  us,  and  the  council 
broke  up  in  a  right.  The  five  Indians  who  were  in  favor 
of  attacking  us  started  to  seek  the  assistance  of  the  Ute 
Indians,  while  the  others  came  to  our  side.  A  week  later 
we  had  a  talk  with  some  of  the  Piutes,  and  the  threatened 
trouble  was  averted. 


47o 


LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


A  funeral  occurred  in  the  settlement  on  May  27th — 
that  of  Minty,  the  little  daughter  of  W.  J.  Johnston.  I 
preached  the  funeral  sermon.  For  some  time  previous  to 
and  after  this  occasion  my  health  was  quite  poor.  On  June 
1st  we  had  another  Indian  scare,  and  made  ready  for  attack, 
but  the  alarm  was  without  sufficient  cause. 

Before  this  time  several  of  our  company  had  endeav- 
ored to  learn  the  Navajo  language,  but  met  with  little  suc- 
cess; so  I  determined  to  study  the  Indian  language  and 
customs  myself,  that  I  might  be  able  to  talk  freely  with  the 
red  men.  Accordingly,  on  June  4th,  I  went  up  the  Moen- 
coppy  Wash  to  Chief  Hustelso's  camp,  about  twenty-five 
miles.  It  was  arranged  that  I  should  be  left  there  alone, 
except  that  Ira  Hatch's  eight-year  old  girl  was  to  stay  with 
and  wait  on  me.  The  Indian  camp  was  located  two  or 
three  miles  from  where  George  A.  Smith,  Jr.  was  killed 
some   years  before,   probably  by  the   same  Indians. 

H.  O.  Fullmer  and  Ira  Hatch  went  with  me,  and  eight 
Navajos  assisted  in  letting  my  wagon  down  into  the  Wash, 
where  I  was  left.  The  bed  of  the  stream  was  perhaps 
three  thousand  feet  below  the  plain  above  on  the  north 
side,  while  the  cliffs  on  the  south  towered  up  almost  per- 
pendicularly about  five  thousand  feet.  The  Indian  camp 
was  in  the  deep  recess,  the  descent  into  which  was  both 
difficult  and  dangerous.  A  wagon  could  not  be  drawn 
down  or  up  by  team,  but  for  a  thousand  feet  or  so  had  to 
be  lowered  from  one  cliff  to  another  with  ropes.  In  one 
place  the  Indians  had  cut  eighteen  steps,  to  enable  them  to 
get  their  animals  up  and  down;  and  then  occasionally  a 
horse  would  go  over  and  be  killed. 

In  this  place  the  first  night  gave  me  a  decidedly  lone- 
some feeling.  Chief  Hustelso  was  friendly,  but  not  so  his 
people,  except  a  few  old  men.  The  young  men  were  very 
surly,  and  would  not  talk.  Some  of  them  were  shooting 
arrows,    and   I     tried    to   be    friendly    and    proposed    to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  47 1 

shoot  with  them,  but  three  of  the  young  braves  drew  their 
bows  on  me,  as  if  intending  to  kill  me.  I  made  no  head- 
way that  night,  and  I  realized  the  gloominess  that  had  pre- 
vented my  companions  remaining  there  and  learning  to 
speak  the  Navajo  tongue.  The  next  day  or  two  I  was 
threatened  and  illtreated,  the  burrs  taken  off  mv  wagon, 
and  I  was  subjected  to  other  annoyances.  The  little  girl 
with  me  did  fairly  well,  for,  being  a  half-breed  Indian  her- 
self, she  affiliated  with  the  Indian  children  without  diffi- 
culty. 

Then  the  Indians  became  less  offensive  in  their  con- 
duct day  by  day,  and  I  learned  rapidly  to  converse  with 
them,  and  began  to  experience  kindness  at  their  hands. 
Several  strange  Indians  came  from  a  considerable  distance 
to  see  me.  and  on  June  12th,  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
Navajos  gathered  around  to  hear  me  tell  them  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  its  discovery  and  contents.  Book  in  hand  I 
related  to  them  the  story  of  the  volume  being  the  history  of 
their  forefathers.  Some  laughed  at  me  and  others  asked 
most  searching  questions,  which  I  was  able  to  answer  sat- 
isfactorily in  their  6wn  dialect. 

Then  came  the  inquiry,  '-If  it  is  our  book,  how  did  you 
get  it?  Did  you  steal  it?"  I  was  getting  pretty  well  puz- 
zled, owing  to  my  imperfect  acquaintance  with  the  Navajo 
language.  I  told  them  that  the  book  was  obtained  in  the 
east,  about  so  many  days'  journey  off.  But  I  could  not  ex- 
plain to  them  that  it  was  in  a  stone  box  in  the  Hill  Cumo- 
rah,  and  that  the  writings  were  on  gold  plates,  for  I  did  not 
know  what  terms  to  use  to  convey  my  meaning.  One  In- 
dian told  me  the  book  could  not  have  lasted  so  long  as  I 
said,  because  paper  would  decay,  he  knew  that.  In  order 
to  learn  what  hill  was,  I  made  a  small  hill  of  sand,  and  by 
comparison  with  the  mountains  and  much  explanation  I 
learned  the  word  for  hill. 

I  had  noticed,  almost  up   to   the   plateau  above,  some 


472  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

slate  rock;  and  after  great  difficulty  I  managed  to  climb 
and  get  several  pieces  of  slate  down,  being  aided  by  the 
little  girl.  Then  I  improvised  a  stone  box,  set  it  in  the 
sand  hill,  placed  the  book  therein,  and  thus  ascertained  how 
to  say  stone  box,  in  Navajo,  and  explained  that  the  record 
was  deposited  therein.  1  was  almost  beaten  to  tell  of  gold 
plates,  for  I  did  not  know  the  words  to  use.  At  last  I  be- 
thought me  of  a  brass  suspender  buckle,  and  pointed  out 
that  what  I  was  referring  to  was  like  that,  but  was  not  that; 
and  a  little  piece  was  worth  several  silver  dollars.  Then 
one  Indian  recognized  what  I  wanted  to  say,  and  gave  me 
the  word  for  gold,  on  the  coins  of  which  he  had  seen  small 
letters.  I  was  thus  able  to  explain  that  the  record  was  on 
plates  of  gold;  but  the  way  I  learned  to  do  it  was  one  of 
the  marvelous  experiences  of  my  life,  and  illustrates  the 
difficulties  I  had  to  meet  in  learning  the   Navajo   language. 

When  1  reached  the  point  of  telling  how  the  Book  of 
Mormon  plates  were  preserved  and  obtained,  my  audience 
was  quite  in  touch  with  me,  and  they  rejoiced  and  wept 
while  I  told  them  further  of  its  contents.  From  that  time 
no  friendship  was  too  great  for  me,  and  before  my  depart- 
ure I  spent  a  day,  by  invitation,  viewing  Indian  sports. 
By  June  20,  I  was  through  at  Hustelso's  camp  and  ready 
for  a  journey  of  exploration  which  had  been  planned. 

On  June  21st  our  exploring  party,  consisting  of  six 
persons,  including  my  son-in-law  and  his  wife  and  child, 
started  on  a  trip,  the  general  direction  of  travel  being  a 
little  south  of  east.  Our  journey  led  us  through  some  good 
country,  and  some  that  was  very  rough.  We  went  a  short 
distance  into  New  Mexico,  and  obtained  considerable  knowl- 
edge of  the  country  and  its  inhabitants,  there  being  many 
Indian  villages,  houses  and  farms  on  the  route  we  traveled. 
As  we  were  crossing  over  a  broad  mesa,  on  June  27,  after 
passing  the  Fort  Defiance  road,  we  met  with  a  strange 
person  among  the  people.     This   was   a   fullblood   Indian 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  473 

girl  seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  with  white  hair,  blue  eyes, 
and  skin  as  fair  as  the  fairest  white  person. 

Next  dav  we  reached  the  camp  of  Pal  Chil  Clane,  a 
Navajo  chief  at  whose  place  a  council  had  been  appointed. 
From  there  a  messenger  was  dispatched  to  Totoso-ne- 
Huste.  the  head  chief  of  the  Navajo  nation.  On  the  even- 
ing of  the  following  day  that  chief  arrived  in  the  camp. 

A  consultation  was  held  on  June  29th  with  the  chieftain, 
at  which  we  informed  him  of  our  desire  to  settle  the  country, 
to  teach  the  Indians  the  Gospel,  and  to  aid  in  improving 
their  general  condition;  we  also  told  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, a  record  of  the  Indians'  forefathers,  which  had  been 
made  known.  The  chief  responded  that  it  was  a  depart- 
ure from  his  usual  rule  to  come  and  see  the  white  men. 
Before  this,  they  always  had  come  to  him,  or  he  had  sent 
good  men  to  meet  the  government  agents  and  others.  This 
also  had  been  his  custom  with  the  Mormons  up  to  that  oc- 
casion.    Among  other  things  he  said: 

"When  I  heard  that  you  had  come,  I  quit  work  and 
came  to  see  you.  My  heart  is  glad  at  the  meeting  with 
you,  and  that  I  see  your  wagon  there,  and  the  brush  shade 
that  your  men  have  built.  Stop  here  four  days,  and  many 
of  our  best  men  will  come  and  talk  to  you,  for  a  great  many 
of  our  people  want  to  go  and  see  the  Mormons.  We  shall 
have  a  big  talk  and  know  what  to  do.  We  are  glad  that 
you  come  among  us  as  friends,  that  you  are  making  a  road 
through  our  country,  and  that  you  have  built  houses  at 
Moencoppy.  We  want  to  live  with  you  in  peace  and  let 
your  animals  eat  grass  in  peace.  But  water  is  scarce  in  this 
country,  there  is  barely  enough  for  our  numerous  flocks  and 
increasing  people,  and  our  good  old  men  do  not  want  your 
people  to  build  any  more  houses  by  the  springs;  nor  do  we 
want  you  to  bring  flocks  to  eat  the  grass  about  the  springs. 
We  want  to  live  by  you  as  friends.  I  sent  some  good  men 
with  you  last  year,  and  they  say  you  talked  one  talk  all  the 

30 


474 


LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


time.  The  great  Mormon  father  he  talked  straight  all  the 
time.  I  think  that  a  good  road  to  travel  in.  I  have  had 
two  daughters  prisoners  among  the  Apaches  for  many  years 
but  have  never  left  my  home  to  search  for  them,  for  I  love 
my  home  and  my  people,  and  I  do  not  love  to  travel.  I  have 
sent  good  and  true  men  to  search  for  my  children,  and  have 
appealed  to  the  American  captains  in  different  places,  yet 
my  daughters  have  not  been  brought  back.  I  am  an  old  man 
now,  and  it  is  hard  for  me  to  travel  long  roads,  but  I  wish 
to  see  the  Mormons  and  my  father  their  captain.  I  am  in- 
clined to  go  with  you.  I  want  twenty-five  or  thirty  men  to 
go  with  me.  and  one  or  two  women,  to  see  your  women  and 
learn  how  they  do.  I  am  much  pleased  to  see  you  and  your 
daughter  and  her  baby.  I  want  to  see  more  of  your  people. 
The  Americans  and  your  people  differ  in  religion.  The 
Mormons  say  their  captain  talks  with  God  (Pagocheda). 
and  Americans  say  God  does  not  talk  to  men.  We  do  not 
know  what  to  believe.  When  God  talks  to  us,  then  we 
shall  know.     Until  then  we  want  to  live  as  friends." 

After  our  talk  we  separated,  he  promising  to  return  in 
three  days.  He  came,  and  I  accompanied  him  to  a  Navajo 
religious  feast,  where  I  was  introduced  to  thirteen  chiefs 
and  over  two  hundred  other  Navajo  Indians.  This  was  on 
July  2nd.  It  was  decided  that  some  of  them  would  go  to 
see  the  Mormons,  and  be  at  Moencoppy  in  thirty-eight  days. 
Then  we  bade  the  Indians  good-by,  and  proceeded  on  our 
journey,  going  over  into  New  Mexico,  and  back  to  Moen- 
coppy, where  we  arrived  on  July  15th.  There  were  quite 
a  number  of  Navajos,  Piutes  and  Hopees  there,  and  I  had 
to  talk  with  them  and  three  Mexicans  till  quite  late. 

A  week  later,  on  July  22nd,  I  declined  to  administer 
the  sacrament,  owing  to  the  feeling  of  dissatisfaction  among 
the  people.  A.  S.  Gibbons  and  M.  P.  Mortensen  circulated 
reports  against  me,  that  I  had  used  provisions  contributed 
to  the  mission,  and   I   had   a   full  investigation   made;   this 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  475 

showed  that  the  accusation  was  entirely  wrong.  Other 
meetings  were  held  subsequently,  and  the  ill  feeling  that  had 
arisen  was  dispensed  with.  The  mission  affairs  then  pro- 
ceeded smoothly  again. 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  August  8th  that  the  Navajo 
Indian  delegation  began  to  assemble  for  the  journey  north, 
Totoso-ne-Huste  among  the  number,  and  by  the  ioth  all 
were  ready  for  the  start.  The  journey  was  a  hard  one  much 
of  the  way,  but  when  we  got  among  the  settlements  in  Utah 
we  were  well  treated,  and  the  Indians  highly  pleased.  We 
reached  Salt  Lake  City  August  28,   1877. 

The  next  day  I  visited  President  Young.  He  was  very 
ill,  and  I  merely  called  to  see  him.  The  great  pioneer  and 
prophet  who  had  done  so  much  for  the  opening  up  and 
settlement  of  the  Great  West  was  on  his  deathbed.  The 
magnificent  work  of  his  life  was  over.  In  half  an  hour 
after  I  left  his  room,  the  noble  spirit  passed  from  his  body, 
and  he  slept  in  death,  awaiting  the  resurrection  morn. 

On  the  evening  of  August  29,  the  Deseret  JVews  pub- 
lished the  following  regarding  the  Navajo  delegation  and 
myself : 

"Indian  Delegation. — Last  evening  Elder  James  S. 
Brown  arrived  from  the  south  w»th  a  delegation  of  Navajo 
Indians,  one  of  whom  is  a  woman,  the  first  female  Navajo, 
we  believe,  that  has  ever  visited  this  part  of  the  country. 
Garanu  Namunche,  or  Totoso-ne-Huste,  the  former  being 
his  Spanish  and  the  latter  his  Indian  name,  is  at  the  head 
of  the  party.  He  is,  in  fact,  the  head  chief  of  the  Navajo 
nation.  He  is  accompanied  by  two  other  leading  men, 
Honeco.  brother  of  the  former,  and  Esclepelehen,  son  of 
the  same.  In  June  last  Elder  Brown  and  a  party  of  breth- 
ren visited  the  northeastern  part  of  Arizona  and  the  north- 
western portion  of  New  Mexico,  and  found  a  strong  spirit 
of  inquiry  among  the  Nava'jos  relative  to  the  Mormon  people, 
their  methods  of  farming,  manufacturing,  and  in  relation  to 


476  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

their  institutions  generally.  These  inquiries  were  incited 
by  the  report  of  the  Navajo  delegation  which  visited  this 
city  a  year  ago,  and  these  composing  the  one  now  here 
have  come  to  see,  hear  and  examine  for  themselves,  that 
they  may  be  witnesses  of  the  same  things.  Brother  Brown 
and  party  held  a  council  with  the  Indians  at  the  camp  of 
Pal  Chil  Clane,  about  two  hundred  men  of  the  tribe  being 
present  on  the  occasion,  including  Totoso-ne-Huste,  the 
leading  chief  already  mentioned.  It  was  then  that  the  lat- 
ter proposed  to  pay  the  present  visit.  Manlete,  or  Pahada 
Pahadane,  is  the  war  chief  of  the  nation,  but  in  the  estima- 
tion of  the  tribe  is  second  in  rank  to  Totoso-ne-Huste,  al- 
though the  whites,  or  "Americans,"  recognize  the  war 
chief  as  the  head.  The  delegation  are  stopping  at  the 
house  of  Brother  Brown,  and  have  been  visiting  the  lead- 
ing places  of  interest  in  the  city  today.  Elder  Brown  pur- 
poses taking  them  north  to  Bear  River  on  Monday." 

On  August  30th.  the  Indians  and  I  met  Daniel  H.  Wells, 
who  had  been  counselor  to  President  Young  in  the  First 
Presidency.  At  that  interview  President  Wells  told  me  I 
had  performed  a  great  and  good  work,  and  to  ask  me  to 
return  to  Arizona  was  too  much  to  require  of  me.  I  was 
therefore  honorably  released  from  that  mission.  Sub- 
sequently I  received  a  formal  release  from  President 
John  Taylor,  who  succeeded  to  the  presidency  of  the 
Church. 

After  the  funeral  of  President  Young,  which  was  held 
on  September  2nd,  I  accompanied  the  Indians  as  far  south 
as  Gunnison,  Sanpete  County,  on  their  way  home.  There 
I  bade  them  goodbye,  and  returned  northward,  to  resume 
my  missionary  labors,  traveling  and  lecturing  among  the 
settlements  in  Utah,  southern  Idaho,  and  western  Wy- 
oming. I  also  purchased  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  of  land  on 
the  Redwood  Road,  in  the  western  part  of  Salt  Lake  City, 
and   worked   on   that   in    the  spring  and  summer,  traveling 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  477 

and  preaching  in  the  autumn  and  winter  as  President  Young 
had  directed  me  to  do. 

Thus  my  time  was  occupied  till  the  spring  of  1892 
with  the  exception  of  the  months  of  March,  April  and  May, 
188S.  With  a  firm  conviction  that  plurality  of  wives  was 
a  law  of  God.  I  had  entered  into  that  relationship  honorably 
with  a  sincere  purpose  to  follow  the  right.  My  family 
were  united  with  me  in  accepting  this  union  as  of  the  high- 
est, holiest,  most  sacred  character  in  the  sight  of  the  Most 
High.  I  could  not  feel  to  cast  aside  my  wives  whom  I  had 
married  under  these  conditions,  and  therefore,  on  March 
12,  1888,  I  was  sentenced  to  prison  on  a  charge  of  unlawr- 
ful  cohabitation,  the  legal  term  applied  to  living  with  more 
than  one  wife,  the  law  being  specially  directed  at  one  of  the 
religious  practices  of  the  Latter-day  Saints.  The  judgment 
pronounced  against  me  was  three  months'  imprisonment  in 
the  penitentiary  and  to  pay  a  fine  of  one  hundred  dollars  and 
costs,  which  amounted  in  my  case  to  twenty-seven  dollars 
and  fifty  cents.  I  paid  the  fine  and  served  the  term,  less 
the  time  allowed  for  good  behavior,  and  was  released  May 
28,  1888,  having  been  in  prison  two  months  and  sixteen 
days. 

As  was  the  case  with  other  Mormons  in  my  position, 
our  offense  was  not  looked  upon  even  by  non-Mormons  ac- 
quainted with  the  circumstances  as  containing  the  element 
of  crime;  but  our  incarceration  was  in  fact  an  imprisonment 
for  conscience  sake,  that  being  the  position  in  which  the 
law  found  us.  A  term  in  the  penitentiary  under  those  con- 
ditions and  at  that  time,  while  a  severe  hardship,  especially 
upon  one  in  my  state  of  health,  was  by  no  means  a  moral 
disgrace,  since  those  who  had  to  endure  it  were  of  the  bet- 
ter class  of  men,  whose  uprightness,  honor,  integrity  and 
sincerity  were  beyond  question  in  the  community  where 
their  lives   were  an  open  book. 


4/ 


78  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER    LXIII. 

VISITED  BY  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  8MITH— CALLED  ON  ANOTHER  MIS- 
SION TO  THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS -PREPARE  TO  RESPOND— A  BLESS- 
ING BY  APOSTLE  LORENZO  SNOW— APPOINTED  TO  PRESIDE  OYER 
THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS  MISSION— ATTEMPTS  TO  DISCOURAGE  ME 
FROM  UNDERTAKING  THE  JOURNEY— SURPRISE  PARTY  BY  MY 
CHILDREN— FAREWELL  RECEPTION  IN  THE  WARD  HALL— START 
ON  MY  MISSION,  ACCOMPANIED  B Y  MY  SON  AND  OTHERS  WHO 
HAD  BEEN  CALLED— VOYAGE  TO  TAHITI— MADMAN  ON  BOARD 
THE  VESSEL— AT  MARQUESAS  ESLANDS— STRANGE  CHARACTERS— 
TATTOOED  WHITE  MAN  —  HIS  PECULIAR  CAREER —  CATCHING 
SHARES-ARRIVE  AT  PAPEETE— MY  RECEPTION  THERE— MEET 
NATIVE  JOSEPHITE  PREACHERS,  WHO  SEEM  CONFUSED— ELDERS 
FROM  UTAH  GREET  US— IN  POOR  HEALTH. 

ON  March  30,  1892,  President  Joseph  F.  Smith  called 
at  my  residence  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  handed  me  a 
letter  written  by  an  Elder  who  was  on  the  island  of  Tahiti. 
At  the  same  time  President  Smith  asked  me  how  I  would 
like  to  take  another  mission  to  the  Society  Islands,  in  the 
South  Pacific  Ocean.  I  told  him  I  did  not  wish  any  man 
to  call  me  on  a  mission — that  my  health  was  not  good,  and 
such  a  journey  as  he  suggested  was  a  big  undertaking  for 
one  in  my  condition.  He  replied  that  he  would  leave  the 
letter  for  me  to  read,  and  would  call  the  next  day  to  learn 
what  I  thought  of  it.  He  came  according  to  appointment, 
and  informed  me  that  the  First  Presidency  wanted  me  to 
undertake  the  mission.  I  replied  that  when  properly  called 
I  was  not  afraid  to  go,  as  I  had  faith  that  God  would  not 
require  of  any  man  more  than  he  would  have  the  ability  to 
do  if  he  were  faithful.  The  day  following  this  conversa- 
tion I  visited  the  First  Presidency  and  learned  that  they 
were  a  unit  in  requesting  me  to  go  to  the  Society  Islands. 
From  this  time  I  began  to  settle  my  affairs  to  meet  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  479 

call.  On  April  8th,  I  was  set  apart  for  the  mission,  Elder 
Francis  M.  Lyman  being  mouth  in  the  blessing.  On  the 
15th.  I  went  to  Ogden  on  business,  and  while  on  the  train 
met  Apostle  Lorenzo  Snow,  who  told  me  he  felt  the  spirit 
of  prophecy.  He  said  that  the  mission  I  was  going  on 
should  be  one  of  the  greatest  I  had  ever  performed;  that  I 
would  prosper  therein  and  be  blessed  with  more  power  and 
influence  than  ever  before;  that  the  Lord  would  be  with 
me  to  sustain  and  comfort  me,  and  that  my  family  should 
be  provided  for.  As  he  spoke  I  felt  a  thrill  of  testimony 
through  my  whole  being.  When  he  concluded  he  took 
from  his  pocket  two  live-dollar  gold  pieces,  remarking  that 
he  had  been  a  missionary  himself,  and  insisted  that  I 
should  take  the  money,  keep  it  till  I  got  in  a  close  place, 
and  then  use  it,  which  I  did. 

On  April  22nd  I  received  at  President  Woodruff's 
office  a  letter  of  appointment  to  preside  over  the  Society 
Islands  Mission,  which  included  the  Society  and  Tuamotu 
groups,  comprising  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  islands  and 
an  area  of  about  fifteen  hundred  square  miles.  About  this 
time  I  had  many  visitors,  a  considerable  number  of  whom 
expressed  surprise  at  my  being  appointed  to  such  a  mission 
at  my  time  of  life  and  in  my  condition;  for  1  was  sixty-four 
years  of  age  and  walked  on  crutches  and  one  foot,  as  I  had 
to  abandon  my  artificial  limb  in  Arizona,  owing  to  the  in- 
tense pain  it  caused  me.  One  man  said  that  he  would  not 
go  in  my  situation  for  ten  thousand  dollars.  But  these  dis- 
couraging remarks  did  not  raise  a  doubt  in  my  mind  of  the 
propriety  of  the  call. 

On  the  24th  of  April  I  was  engaged  in  writing, 
when  my  children  and  grandchildren  to  the  number  of 
sixty-five  burst  in  upon  me  in  a  surprise  party.  We  had  a 
happy  time  and  I  gave  them  a  father's  blessing.  Then  we 
repaired  to  the  Seventeenth  Ward  meeting  house,  where 
members  of  the  ward  had  assembled,  and  I  preached  a  fare- 


480  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

well  sermon   and   took   an   affectionate   leave   of    the  peo- 
ple. 

I  sold  some  of  my  real  estate  to  pay  the  expenses  of  my 
journey,  and  for  my  family;  also  received  contributions  in 
money  from  a  number  of  friends;  and  on  April  26th  I 
started  on  my  mission,  accompanied  by  my  son  Elando.  We 
stayed  over  night  at  Ogden,  then  continued  on  to  San 
Francisco,  arriving  there  April  28th.  On  April  30th  we 
boarded  the  barkentine  City  of  Papeete,  which  sailed  the 
next  day. 

The  sea  voyage  occupied  the  entire  month  of  May, 
Tahiti  coming  into  view  on  the  evening  of  the  31st.  Our 
fare,  cabin,  was  seventy-live  dollars  each.  The  first  few 
days  out  we  had  headwinds,  and  there  was  a  goodly  share 
of  seasickness.  On  the  10th  a  native  of  Tahiti,  named 
Manhele,  commonly  known  as  John  Bull,  became  violently 
insane,  and  had  to  be  restrained.  On  the  12th  he  freed 
himself  and  crawled  out  on  the  jib  boom,  from  which  he 
was  about  to  plunge  into  the  sea,  when  he  was  secured.  It 
took  five  men  to  handle  him.  At  five  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  the  15th  it  was  discovered  that  the  madman  had  made  a 
fire  by  rubbing  two  sticks  together.  Fortunately  he  was 
detected  in  time  to  prevent  the  ship  being  set  aflame.  A 
few  days  after  this  occurrence  his  condition  improved  and 
continued  so  to  the  end  of  the  vovage. 

It  was  at  the  Marquesas  Islands  on  May  26th,  when 
we  sailed  into  port,  that  I  went  ashore  with  the  rest  of  the 
passengers,  and  met  a  native  of  Rapia,  a  very  uninviting 
person  in  appearance.  The  people  warned  us  to  beware 
of  him  as  he  was  a  savage  and  had  killed  five  men.  He 
told  me  he  had  seen  me  forty  years  before  on  his  native 
island,  and  related  circumstances  of  the  event  that  con- 
vinced me  his  statement  was  true. 

The  next  man  I  spoke  to  ashore  was  John  H.  Rumrell  of 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  who  wras  taken  prisoner  by  natives 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  48 1 

on  the  Marquesas  Islands  in  1847,  and  in  the  following 
year  was  tattooed  from  the  tip  of  his  nose  to  just  above  his 
eyebrows,  and  back  to  his  ear  on  the  left  side  of  his  face; 
on  the  right  side  the  tattooing  went  from  the  lower  part  of 
the  nose  back  to  the  ear;  while  above  the  eyebrow,  and 
reaching  to  the  ear,  was  another  strip.  The  ink  was 
pricked  in  with  human  bone.  He  said  that  it  was  because 
of  this  tattooing  that  he  would  not  return  to  his  people. 
In  his  experience  he  had  been  without  clothing  for 
years.  He  had  two  sons  and  one  daughter,  and  lived  like 
the  natives  in  every  respect.  He  related  how  that  on  one 
occasion  the  natives  had  killed  a  white  man  and  cooked 
and  ate  him,  and  at  the  same  time  they  had  killed  a  colored 
man,  who  was  eaten  raw,  before  the  flesh  was  cold.  Mr. 
Rumrell  said  he  seldom  heard  from  his  relatives  in  Boston. 
He  seemed  almost  oblivious  to  everything  except  what  was 
immediately  before  him;  he  took  as  little  interest  in  civili- 
zation as  did  the  natives,  and  I  have  not  found  a  lower  class 
of  people  in  the  South  Pacific  than  on  the  live  of  eleven 
Marquesas  islands  which  were  inhabited  at  the  time  of  this 
visit. 

The  captain  of  our  vessel  informed  me  that  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  group  numbered  about  four  thousand  eight 
hundred  souls,  and  that  there  were  ten  deaths  among  the 
natives  to  one  birth,  the  chief  cause  of  this  mortality  being 
the  opium  habit.  The  French  governor  was  trying  to  pro- 
hibit the  use  of  the  drug,  but  so  far  had  not  betn  success- 
ful. 

On  the  voyage  down  to  the  Marquesas  we  saw  many 
flying  fish,  whales  and  other  varieties  of  the  finny  tribe. 
On  May  12th  the  sailors  caught  two  sharks,  and  after  cut- 
ting them  up  threw  them  overboard.  We  left  the  port  of 
Taihai,  in  the  Marquesas,  on  May  28th,  and  on  the  31st 
sighted  Tahiti,  entering  the  harbor  of  Papeete  on  June  1st, 
after  considerable  trouble. 


482  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

I  remained  on  board  till  the  afternoon.  Mr.  Dorence 
Atwater,  formerly  United  States  consul  there,  came  on  the 
vessel,  and  recognizing  me  told  me  he  had  an  empty  room 
that  I  was  welcome  to  occupy  with  my  friends  until  I  could 
do  better.  I  felt  that  this  courtesy  had  been  offered  as  an 
answer  to  my  prayers  to  the  Lord.  I  accepted  the  invita- 
tion and  we  went  to  the  house  he  had  been  speaking  of, 
from  where  we  returned  to  the  wharf,  and  he  bade  me  good 
evening. 

While  resting  myself  a  moment  near  a  group  of  natives 
I  spoke  to  them,  when  one  came  forward  and  asked  why  I 
was  there.  I  replied  that  I  had  come  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel. At  this  he  called  four  of  his  companions  and  intro- 
duced them  as  Mormon  missionaries  of  the  Reorganized 
Church  of  Latter-day  Saints,  or  followers  of  young  Joseph 
Smith,  the  Prophet's  son.  I  told  them  I  did  not  belong  to 
their  organization,  but  to  the  true  Church  of  Saints,  the 
same  as  when  I  was  on  the  islands  before.  They  seemed 
surprised  and  confused,  and  after  a  pause  inquired  if  I  knew 
the  Josephite  missionaries  that  came  from  America.  I  an- 
swered that  all  the  true  Mormon  missionaries  came  from 
Salt  Lake  City  and  vicinity.  Then  I  asked  if  they  knew 
where  I  could  get  a  bed,  and  after  consultation  one  of  them 
said  I  could  go  with  him.  My  baggage,  however,  was  not 
through  the  custom  house,  and  the  captain  suggested  that 
I  had  better  stay  on  board,  so  I  went  back  to  the  vessel. 

That  evening  Elders  Joseph  W.  Damron  and  Wm.  A. 
Seegmiller,  missionaries  from  Utah,  came  on  board  and 
asked  if  there  were  any  Latter-day  Saints  there.  I  intro- 
duced myself,  then  my  son  Elando,  and  Elder  Thomas 
Jones.  Elder  Damron  insisted  that  we  go  on  shore  with 
him  for  the  night,  which  we  did,  and  my  son  and  I  were 
comfortably  located  at  the  home  of  Tiniarau,  where  we  re- 
mained some  time.  The  other  Elders  went  to  a  house 
about  three  miles  distant,  but  next  day   moved  to  Mr.   At- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  483 

water's  place.  For  some  days  I  was  very  tired  and  in  poor 
health,  and  remained  at  the  house  talking  to  people  who 
called. 


CHAPTER    LXIV. 

FIRST  SABBATH  IX  TAHITI— MEET  SEVERAL  PERSONS  WHOM  I  KNEW 
o\ER  FORTY  YEARS  BEFORE— HOW  THEY  REMEMBERED  ME—. 
SEEK  PERMISSION  TO  HOLD  PUBLIC  MEETINGS— WIDOW  OF  MY 
OLD  FRIEND,  JOHN  LAYTON,  CALLS  ON  ME— OTHER  FRIENDS- 
PREACH  TO  THE  JOSEPH1TES-  GOVERNOR  REFUSES  TO  PERMIT 
IS  TO  HOLD  PUBLIC  MEETINGS— GET  ADVICE  OF  THE  UNITED 
STATES  CONSUL— A  LAWYER'S  I  <  >l  NSEL—  JOSEPHITES  TELL  OF  B. 
F.  GROl ARD— I  EXPLAIN  HOW  HE  HAD  TURNED  INTO  THE  WRONG 
PATH— THE  CHURCH  NEVER  DISORGANIZED— MISSIONARY  LABORS 
—GREETING  A  FRENCH  ADMIRAL— EARLY  MISSIONARIES  TO  TA- 
HITI—THEIR SEVERE  EXPERIENCES— SIXTY-FOURTH  ANNIVER- 
SARY OF  MY  BIRTH-LEARN  OF  MORMONS  WHO  WERE  HANGED 
FOR  HAVING  KILLED  A  POLICEMAN  IN  THE  TROUBLE  WHEN  I 
W AS  ARRESTED  ON  MY  FIRST  MISSION  TO  THE  ISLANDS— MEET  A 
NATIVE  OF  PITCAIRN'S  ISLAND— HIS  STORY— VISIT  TAUTILA— 
SEVERE  VOYAGE— A  BAPTISM— SAIL  FOR  TUBUOI— AMONG  STRANG- 
ERS—CELEBRATION OF  A  FRENCH  FETE  DAY— DINE  WITH  THE 
GOVERNOR— PEOPLE  BECOME  LESS  UNFRIENDLY  TO  US— BREAK- 
ING OF  THE  CLOUDS— BAPTIZE  TWENTY-FOUR  PERSONS— EN - 
COURAGING  RESULTS  OF  MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

OUR  first  Sabbath  in  Tahiti  (June  5,  1892,)  we  attend- 
ed the  Josephite  meeting.  The  service  was  very 
brief,  and  the  people  seemed  worried.  Next  day  several 
of  the  Josephites  called  on  me,  and  after  a  lengthy  conver- 
sation told  me  they  knew  I  spoke  the  truth  to  them.  I  was 
also  visited  by  a  number  of  friends  who  were  young  when 
I  was  on  the  islands  before,  but  who  remembered  me.  One 
who  came  from  Anaa  said  he  was  present  when  I  first 
landed  on  that  island,  and  he  knew  of  my  labors  and  my 
having  been  arrested  by  the  French.     He  remembered  me 


484  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

by  my  voice,  and  said  the  people  who  heard  me  then  would 
know  me  in  the  same  way,  if  they  did  not  by  seeing  me. 
Many  natives  came  and  said  they  were  glad  to  see 
and  hear  me,  though  they  had  been  born  since  I  left  the 
country. 

A  Mr.  Henry,  a  son  of  a  former  minister  of  the  Church 
of  England,  called,  and  I  loaned  him  a  Voice  of  Warning. 
He  invited  me  to  spend  the  evening  with  himself  and  wife, 
but  I  had  an  appointment.  I  went  next  evening,  however, 
and  passed  a  very  enjoyable  time,  as  I  did  on  several  oc- 
casions afterwards.  During  that  week  I  was  visited  by  very 
many  people.  Mr.  Atwater  gave  us  the  privilege  of  hold- 
ing public  meetings  in  his  house,  but  we  understood  it  was 
necessary  to  get  the  permission  of  the  director  and  secre- 
tary of  the  interior  for  the  province,  so  Mr.  Atwater  and  I 
called.  That  official  said  we  were  to  submit  the  applica- 
tion to  the  governor,  and  he  would  notify  Mr.  Atwater  of 
the  reply.  On  Saturday  evening  I  talked  on  the  market 
grounds  to  a  large  number  of  people,  several  of  whom  rec- 
ognized me  as  having  been  on  the  island  forty  years  be- 
fore. That  evening,  at  the  wharf,  I  also  met  with  an  aged 
man  from  Anaa,  who  had  known  me  on  my  former  mission, 
and  who  said  that  if  I  would  go  there  the  people  would  fol- 
low my  teachings. 

On  Sunday,  the  12th,  who  should  come  to  see  me  but 
Mrs.  Layton,  a  native,  the  widow  of  my  old  friend  John 
Layton.  I  had  seen  her  in  San  Francisco.  My  own 
sister  could  not  have  been  more  pleased  to  see  me,  and  I 
was  very  glad  to  meet  her.  She  gave  me  the  best  history 
of  my  former  friends  on  the  islands  that  I  was  able  to  ob- 
tain. Next  morning  I  took  a  short  stroll,  then  returned  to 
the  house.  The  other  Elders  distributed  tracts  among  the 
English-speaking  residents  of  Papeete,  and  I  received  an- 
other call  from  Mrs.  Layton,  who  brought  her  little  grand- 
daughters and  also  a  man — the  son  of  an  old  friend  of  mine 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  485 

— who  said  that  on  my  former  visit  to  the  island  I  had 
named  him  Iatobo,  after  my  own  Tahitian  name. 

It  was  while  taking  breakfast,  on  the  14th,  with  a  Mr. 
Mervin,  some  of  whose  children  had  been  blessed  in  the 
Church,  that  an  old  lady  who  came  up,  recognized  me,  and 
shook  hands  so  persistently  that  it  seemed  as  if  she  did 
not  intend  to  let  go.  and  did  not  do  so  for  some  minutes. 
She  had  seen  the  French  officers  take  me  away  from  Anaa. 
The  old  lady  had  known  me  on  sight,  though  forty  years 
had  passed.  The  same  day  I  met  an  aged  man  who  also 
recognized  me  from  having  known  me  before.  That  same 
evening  I  was  given  the  privilege  of  addressing  the 
Josephite  meeting  and  told  them  how  and  by  whom  the 
Gospel  had  been  brought  to  them,  and  which  was  the  true 
Church.  I  tendered  my  services  to  preach  in  their  meeting 
house,  but  my  offer  was  not  accepted. 

On  the  16th  I  started  with  Elder  Seegmiller  to  visit 
the  old  prison  where  I  had  been  incarcerated  by  the  French, 
but  the  distance  being  too  great  I  had  to  give  up  the  jour- 
ney. Next  day  we  received  from  the  governor  a  reply  to 
our  application  for  permission  to  hold  public  meetings. 
Our  request  was  denied,  the  reason  assigned  being  that  we 
believed  in  polygamy.  We  had  no  disposition  to  let  the 
matter  rest  there,  so  we  called  on  the  United  States  consul 
for  advice.  He  told  us  to  make  application  in  writing  for 
permission  to  preach,  and  if  refused  to  submit  it  to  him.  This 
we  did  on  the  20th,  and  next  day  received  an  unfavorable 
answer.  The  governor  asked  what  we  taught,  and  we  told 
him.  We  stated  that  we  did  not  teach  polygamy.  The 
reason  he  then  gave  for  refusing  us  the  permission  desired 
was  that  there  were  enough  religions  there  and  he  did  not 
want  another  established.  Mr.  Atwater  suggested  that  we 
consult  with  Mr.  Bonett,  formerly  director  and  secretary  of 
the  interior,  and  an  able  lawyer.  We  did  so,  and  he  in- 
formed us  that  it  was  not  necessary   to   get   permissiom   to 


486  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

preach,  but  that  we  must  notify  the  mayor  or  justice  of  the 
peace  of  the  time  and  place  of  our  meetings. 

To  return  a  few  days:  On  Sunday,  the  19th  of  June,  we 
attended  a  J osephite  meeting,  where  all  were  friendly  but 
the  presiding  officer;  yet  after  meeting  he  told  us  to  come 
and  eat,  sent  a  half-caste  to  wait  on  us,  and  otherwise  was 
quite  attentive.  After  dinner  we  talked  to  the  audience, 
who  appeared  well  pleased.  They  said  B.  F.  Grouard  had 
set  native  songs  to  American  tunes,  and  that  he  had  also 
sent  letters  endorsing  the  Josephite  church;  he  had  been 
one  of  the  first  to  preach  the  true  Gospel  to  their  fathers, 
as  I  had  been,  and  they  were  confused  at  my  coming,  for 
they  could  not  refute  what  I  had  said.  I  was  under  the 
necessity  of  telling  them  how  that  Grouard  had  turned  into 
the  wrong  path — an  action  which  they  admitted  was  quite 
possible.  After  our  talk  this  day  we  felt  that  we  had  done 
our  full  duty  towards  those  Josephites  in  explaining  to 
them  the  true  condition  of  affairs. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  20th  my  old  friend  Mahana 
Toro  called,  but  did  not  seem  so  friendly  as  in  former  times. 
He  was  about  seventy  years  of  age,  and  very  much  broken 
in  health.  He  also  had  joined  the  Josephites  under  the 
misapprehension  that  they  were  of  the  same  Church  as  I 
was.  I  told  him  the  difference,  that  the  Josephite  organi- 
zation was  distinct,  and  was  not  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints,  which  never  had  been  disorganized. 
He  then  seemed  to  feel  more  kindly  towards  me,  and 
visited  me  on  subsequent  occasions,  bringing  gifts  of  or- 
anges. 

My  health  was  very  poor,  and  at  times  I  was  quite 
ill.  1  was  able  most  of  the  time,  however,  to  get  around, 
and  to  preach  to  the  people,  either  those  who  called  on  me, 
or  those  I  had  the  privilege  of  visiting.  My  missionary 
companions  were  also  energetic  in  their  labors.  Occasion- 
allv  we  had  the  opportunity  to  extend  our  acquaintance  into 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  487 

prominent  circles  of  society.  For  instance,  on  June  27th, 
we  attended  a  select  party  in  honor  of  the  French  admiral. 
There  was  a  grand  illumination.  I  also  visited  captains  of 
vessels  engaged  in  traffic  between  the  islands,  and  had 
pleasant  chats  with  them  on  the  principles  of  the  Gospel.  I 
did  not  fail  to  talk  to  the  natives  whenever  occasion  offered, 
and  this  was  frequent.  On  July  2nd,  in  the  market  square, 
a  large  crowd  gathered  around  me  as  I  preached,  and  most 
of  them  acknowledged  the  truth  of  the  principles  I  taught. 
Then,  lest  the  police  stop  me  for  raising  an  excitement,  I 
changed  to  asking  questions,  as  in  conversation,  so  no  of- 
fense could  be  taken  by  the  officers. 

I  learne'd  an  interesting  bit  of  missionary  history  on 
July  3rd.  This  day,  I  met  Mr.  J.  S.  Henry,  who  said  his 
father  was  one  of  the  first  Christian  missionaries  on  the 
islands,  having  come  to  Tahiti  in  1797.  They  had  a  very 
hard  time  of  it.  For  years  their  clothing  was  made  of  the 
bark  of  the  bread-fruit  tree,  and  they  had  gone  barefooted 
for  a  long  time,  their  shoes  and  clotning  having  worn  out. 
They  had  been  five  years  without  receiving  any  supply 
from  their  society.  My  informant  was  born  on  the  island. 
I  loaned  him  a  copy  of  the  Deseret  News,  which  contained 
sermons  by  President  Wilford  Woodruff  and  by  Elder  C. 
W.  Penrose,  who  was  editor  of  the  paper  at  that  time. 

Monday,  July  4,  1892,  was  the  sixty-fourth  anniver- 
sary of  my  birth,  and  I  was  spending  it  in  far  off  Tahiti. 
I  had  but  few  callers  that  day,  and  consequently  but  few 
congratulations.  I  continued  my  efforts  to  make  myself 
more  proficient  in  the  Tahitian  language,  and  from  day  to 
day  proceeded  with  the  duties  that  rested  on  me.  July  12th 
an  aged  man  Tematu  called  on  me,  saying  that  he  was 
from  the  island  of  Anaa,  and  had  been  my  servant  on  the 
occasion  of  my  former  visit.  He  told  me  of  the  four  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  that  were  hanged  by  the  French;  for  in 
the    trouble    then    they    had   killed   a   policeman   and  had 


488  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

wounded  severely  a  Catholic  priest.  The  names  of  the 
executed  men  were  Tefaitina,  Reifara,  Maru,  Mafeuta  and 
Temutu. 

Among  the  very  aged  people  I  met  was  one  who 
called  on  me  on  July  18,  Timou.  aged  one  hundred  and 
three  years.  I  also  met.  at  a  blacksmith  shop,  on  July  21st, 
a  native  of  Pitcairn's  island,  William  Christenson.  He  was 
a  descendant  of  one  of  the  mutineers  of  the  British  ship 
Bounty.  He  told  the  story  as  follows:  The  Bounty  sailed 
from  England  in  the  year  1689,  the  company  intending  to 
collect  plants  from  the  South  Sea  Islands.  They  called  at 
Tahiti,  and  made  their  collection,  then  got  some  natives 
and  their  wives  and  some  other  women  on  board,  and  put 
out  to  sea.  Fletcher  Christenson,  first  mate,  and  some  of 
the  crew  mutinied,  getting  control  of  the  vessel.  They  put 
the  captain,  whose  name  was  Blythe,  and  those  who 
wished  to  go  with  him,  into  the  best  boat,  supplied  them 
with  such  articles  as  they  desired  which  were  at  hand,  and 
set  them  adrift.  This  party  subsequently  reached  England, 
while  the  first  mate  and  crew  ran  the  ship  into  a  small  bay 
at  Pitcairn's  Island,  where  they  wrecked  the  vessel,  taking 
the  supplies  on  shore.  All  went  well  for  a  time,  till  the  native 
men  became  jealous  of  the  white  men  and  killed  most  of  them. 
Afterwards,  at  the  instance  of  the  remaining  white  men, 
the  women  killed  the  native  men  who  had  escaped  in  the 
former  trouble,  so  there  were  left  but  two  of  the  white  men 
and  the  women.  These,  and  after  them,  their  descendants, 
lived  on  the  island,  which  was  but  a  few  miles  in  circum- 
ference. The  population  increased  to  about  four  hundred 
souls,  when  the  British  government  moved  them  to  Norfolk 
Island.  Some  of  them  returned  to  Pitcairn's,  and  at  that 
time  (1892)  there  were  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  souls  on 
the  island,  every  one  belonging  to  the  Seventh  Day  Ad- 
ventists,  and  all  speaking  the  English  language.  Mr. 
Christenson  said  that  the  only  names  of  the  mutinous  crew  he 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  489 

remembered  besides  those  of  the  captain  and  his  own    pro- 
genitor,  were  John   Adams,    McKay,   John   Mills, 

Isaac  Brown  and Yindle.     Christenson's  story  does 

not  harmonize  precisely  with  the  generally  accepted  history 
of  the  affair,  but  I  have  given  it  as  he  related  it. 

For  a  considerable  time  we  had  endeavored  to  get 
passage  for  some  of  the  Elders  to  the  island  of  Tuamotu. 
but  were  unsuccessful,  so  we  divided  Papeete  into  mission- 
ary districts,  Elder  Damron  and  my  son  Elando  taking  the 
east  side,  and  Elders  Seegmiller  and  Jones  the  western  dis- 
trict. During  the  latter  part  of  July  and  the  greater  portion 
of  August,  I  was  quite  ill,  and  was  troubled  greatly  with 
neuralgia.  On  August  14th,  we  applied  to  the  Josephites 
for  permission  to  speak  in  their  house,  but  it  was  refused* 
resulting  in  quite  a  discussion  among  the  members  of  the 
Josephite  congregation,  some  of  whom  were  quite  friendly 
to  us.  On  the  23rd  my  son  Elando  and  I  left  Papeete,  by 
invitation,  for  Tautila,  going  in  a  boat  in  which  there  were 
four  other  men  and  a  woman,  the  latter  being  a  sister  of 
the  owner  of  the  craft.  When  we  got  off  Haapape  the 
wind  became  so  high  that  the  men  were  obliged  to  row  for 
the  shore,  and  we  found  refuge  in  the  home  of  Terumana, 
a  native,  who  fed  us  on  native  food  and  gave  each  of  us  a 
good  bed. 

We  had  to  remain  there  till  11  p.  m.  on  the  25th,  when 
we  started  to  sea  again,  the  night  being  pitch  dark.  The 
woman  made  me  as  comfortable  as  was  possible  in  the  small 
boat,  and  all  went  well  for  a  time  with  the  exception  of  sea- 
sickness. Then  it  came  on  to  rain  very  hard,  and  we  were 
all  wet.  Early  in  the  morning  we  ran  into  shore,  and  the 
men  in  charge  of  the  boat  asked  us  to  pray,  which  I  did. 
We  then  proceeded  on  our  way  with  a  cocoanut  each  for 
breakfast,  and  at  half-past  eight  p.  m.,  on  the  26th,  reached 
the  mouth  of  a  river  on  Tautila. 

Our  host  was   Mr.   Hiotina,   and   his   wife's  name  was 

37 


4<pO  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Teumere.  She  was  an  invalid,  her  frame  almost  a  skeleton, 
but  she  was  a  very  bright  woman  intellectually.  Her  mem- 
orizing of  Scripture  passages  was  truly  a  marvel.  The  next 
day  after  our  arrival  was  Saturday,  and  many  people  came 
out  of  curiosity  to  see  us.  On  Sunday,  the  28th,  about  sixty 
people  assembled,  and  our  host  requested  us  to  hold  relig- 
ious services,  which  we  did.  While  I  was  preaching  on 
faith,  repentance,  and  baptism,  taking  my  text  from  the 
third  chapter  of  Matthew,  an  old  lady  went  over  to  my  son, 
who  was  near  the  door,  and  requested  baptism.  This  was 
the  first  application  of  the  kind  made  to  us  on  the  island. 
The  lady  had  been  a  member  of  the  Church,  but  had  be- 
come negligent.  At  5  p.  m.  that  day  she  was  baptized 
by  Elder  Elando  Brown,  and  I  confirmed  her  a  member  of 
the  Church,  there  being  many  people  present,  among  them 
a  Protestant  minister. 

We  stayed  on  Tautila  until  September  9th,  visiting 
among  the  people  and  preaching  and  talking  to  them,  as 
opportunity  afforded,  though  we  could  not  get  a  house  to 
preach  in.  On  the  gth  we  returned  to  Papeete,  the  voyage 
being  very  rough  and  trying.  I  could  hardly  stand  on  my 
crutches  when  we  landed,  at  10  p.  m. 

On  the  nth  we  arranged  for  four  of  us  to  go  to  Tu- 
buoi,  but  the  governor  informed  the  captain  that  he  could 
take  but  two  white  passengers,  so  on  August  15th  Elder 
Seegmiller  and  I  left  on  a  vessel  bound  for  the  island  named. 
The  voyage  lasted  till  the  20th  and  was  decidedly  uncom- 
fortable. We  did  not  have  sufficient  food,  there  was  no 
bedding,  and  the  water  on  board  was  filthy.  Worn  and  ex- 
hausted, we  were  glad  to  get  ashore  at  Tapuai,  where  we 
were  coldly  greeted.  We  secured  a  comfortable  lodging 
room,  so  far  as  appearances  were  concerned,  and  plenty  of 
fleas  for  bed-fellows.  Our  room-mate  was  a  young  man 
named  Alexander  Drolett,  interpreter  for  the  French  cap- 
tain of  a  government  schooner  that  was  lying  in  the  harbor* 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  49 1 

There  we  met  Tapuni,  a  native  Josephite  preacher  who  had 
been  on  the  island  about  five  months.  He  tried  to  be 
sociable,  but  was  ill  at  ease,  apparently  being  discomfited 
by  our  arrival.  We  found  the  people  generally  very  dis- 
tant, as  if  they  did  not  wish  us  there.  Mr.  Drolett,  how- 
ever, was  kind  and  sociable,  and  we  had.  the  privilege  of 
explaining  to  him  the  nature   of    our   calling  on  the  islands. 

September  22,  1892,  was  the  one  hundredth  anniver- 
sary of  the  first  French  republic,  and  a  feast  and  holiday  had 
been  proclaimed.  Flags  were  hoisted,  and  the  people 
gathered  to  the  feast.  We  were  among  those  invited,  and 
were  seated  at  the  table  with  the  captain  of  the  French 
schooner  and  his  interpreter,  and  the  governor  and  his  wife, 
also  Tapuni.  About  ninety  persons  were  at  the  feast.  Din- 
ner was  served  in  French  and  native  styles  blended.  This 
was  followed  by  singing,  and  by  dancing  and  contortions 
of  the  old  heathen  fashion,  until  I  was  worn  out. 

The  following  day  the  French  schooner  left,  and  Elder 
Seegmiller  and  I  sent  a  letter  to  our  brethren  at  Papeete. 
As  we  were  in  the  house  a  policeman  called  and  gazed  at 
us  for  a  time,  then  left  without  speaking.  Next  came 
the  native  governor,  Tahuhuetoma,  who  entered  without 
noticing  me,  but  I  slapped  him  on  the  shoulder  and  asked 
him  if  he  had  eyes,  whereat  he  spoke,  but  had  little  to  say. 
Then  came  a  native,  Tehaheatihi.  from  the  village  of  Mahu, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  island.  He  wras  very  friendly,  and 
said  he  had  joined  the  Josephites  but  had  discovered  his 
mistake.  I  was  quite  ill,  so  could  not  accept  his  invitation 
to  accompany  him  to  Mahu,  except  on  the  condition  that  he 
furnish  a  conveyance,  which  he  promised  to  try  to  do.  Our 
landlord,  however,  told  us  not  to  trouble,  but  to  remain  till 
Sunday,  when  we  would  all  go  to  Mahu,  and  could  speak 
to  the  people  there.  He  said  Tapuni  wras  not  pleased,  but 
that  made  little  difference. 

Next   day  was   Saturday,   the    24th — the  occasion  of 


492  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

greater  kindness  to  us  from  the  natives  than  previously;  for 
two  children  aged  ten  and  twelve  years  brought  us  some 
food,  as  did  also  the  governor's  wife.  On  Sunday  further 
friendship  was  displayed,  and  the  people  came  to  ask  us 
questions;  but  we  were  unable  to  go  to  Mahu,  and  were  re- 
fused the  privilege  of  speaking  at  the  religious  services  in 
the  place  where  we  were.  On  Monday,  however,  we  went 
to  Mahu,  where  we  met  twelve  to  fifteen  men,  with  whom 
we  had  a  pleasant  visit,  talking  to  them  quite  freeby. 

During  that  week  we  met  a  number  of  people  who  ex- 
hibited a  kindly  feeling  towards  us  in  conversation.  Some 
applied  for  baptism,  but  I  advised  them  to  wait.  By  the 
end  of  the  week  the  clouds  over  the  mission  began  to  break. 
When  Sunday  came  there  was  a  religious  feast,  but  we 
were  not  allowed  to  take  part,  so,  with  about  rive  natives, 
held  services  of  singing,  prayer  and  conversation.  Again 
in  the  afternoon  we  had  a  meeting  at  which  about  thirty 
persons  were  present,  and  I  explained  how  the  authority 
had  continued  in  the  Church  from  the  Prophet  Joseph  to 
the  present  organization.  At  that  meeting  Elder  Seegmil- 
ler  spoke  publicly  in  the  native  tongue  for  the  first  time. 
There  were  several  applications  for  baptism,  and  on  the 
following  Tuesday,  October  4th,  Elder  Seegmiller  baptized 
twenty-four  persons,  whom  I  confirmed  members  of  the 
Church.  Thus  the  missionary  work  on  the  island  was 
opened  up  again,  with  a  fair  start  for  prosperity. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  493 


CHAPTER  LXV. 

MIRACULOUS  HEALING  — MEET  AND  CONFOUND  THE  JOSEPHITES  — 
FURTHER  MISSIONARY  SUCCESS  — MEET  A  NATIVE  WHO  WAS 
PRESENT  WHEN  I  WAS  SENTENCED  TO  RE  BURNED— ELDER 
JOHN  LAYTON'S  GRAVE —  ARRANGE  TO  RETURN  TO  TAHITI- 
DISAPPOINTED—  PR EA<  II  A  FCNERAL  SERMON— FORBIDDEN  TO 
HOLD  PUBLIC  MEETINGS— BLIND  WOMAN  ONE  HUNDRED  AND 
TWENTY  YEARS  OLD— HER  TESTIMONY— ADMINISTER  TO  HER 
FOR  HER  EYESIGHT,  AND  SHE  I>  ENABLED  TO  SEE  A  LITTLE- 
SHE  PRAISES  THE  LORD— PREACHING  AND  BAPTIZING-SA1L  FOR 
PAPEETE— AN  ODD  CARGO— HARD  VOYAGE— HELD  BY  A  CALM- 
LAND  ON  TAHITI-SAIL  FOR  AVAROA— ON  A  WELL-ORDERED 
SCHOONER— CALL  AT  VARIOUS  ISLANDS-LANCE  A  CARBUNGLE- 
CHRISTMA>  DAY  AT  SEA— WATERMELONS— A  BEAUTIFUL  RESI- 
DENCE  AND  CORDIAL  WELCOME— PERFORM  THREE  MARRIAGE 
I  BREMONIE — CONFERENCE  OF  SAINTS  in  THE  TUAMOTU ISLANDS 
—MEET  A  NATIVE  CHILEAN— VI8IT  VARIOUS  PLACES-PUBLIC 
WELCOME— FISHING— ON  THE  ISLAND  OF  ANAA— VISIT  WHERE  I 
WAS  IMPRISONED  —  GRAVES  OF  THOSE  CONCERNED  IN  THE 
TROUBLE  THEN— WARRANT  SERVED  ON  ME— SUMMONED  TO  THE 
GOVERNMENT  HOUSE  —  WARNED  AGAINST  CREATING  A  DIS- 
TURB AN "I   1. 

IT  was  on  October  6,  1892,  that  the  first  case  of  miracu- 
lous healing  after  our  arrival  occurred.  We  were  be- 
coming recipients  of  greater  kindness  from  the  natives,  and 
that  day  Roai,  the  oldest  man  on  the  island,  was  brought  to 
us,  shaking  violently  with  a  chill.  He  appeared  to  be  dy- 
ing. Some  cocoanut  oil  was  brought — no  other  was  obtain- 
able— and  we  blessed  it  and  anointed  and  blessed  him,  when 
the  chill  immediately  left  him.  He  rested  well,  and  next 
morning  was  in  his  usual  good  health. 

On  the  7th  there  was  quite  an  argument  among  the 
people  as  to  whether  the  Josephites  or  the  Mormons  should 
have  the  meeting  house.  The  decision  was  in  our  favor, 
and  we  were  also  offered  a  house  in  the  village  of  Taahuaia. 


494 


LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


The  Josephite  preacher,  Tapuni,  wanted  to  hold  joint  meet- 
ings with  us,  as  we  both  followed  the  same  form  of  baptism; 
but  we  refused,  as  we  could  not  make  any  alliance  with  him. 
We  represented  the  true  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  while  his 
organization  was  by  persons  who  had  been  excommunicatedT 
and  had  not  divine  authority. 

When  Sunday  came  we  held  three  meetings,  blessed 
fourteen  children,  and  took  dinner  with  the  policeman. 
Next  day,  the  ioth,  we  ordained  Ote  an  Elder,  and  added 
nine  persons  to  the  Church  by  baptism.  On  the  nth  we 
met  a  man — the  fourth  on  the  island — who  was  on  the  island 
of  Raivavai  when  the  natives  had  built  a  fire  to  burn  me, 
and  when  I  was  delivered  by  the  power  of  God.  They 
claimed  to  have  been  present  when  I  was  sentenced,  but 
denied  taking  any  part  in  the  proceedings. 

Friday,  October  14th,  we  bade  the  Saints  of  Mahu 
farewell  (having,  the  day  previous,  ordained  two  Elders, 
two  Priests,  one  Teacher  and  one  Deacon)  and  went  to 
Taahuaia,  where  the  people  were  quite  indifferent  to  us. 
From  time  to  time,  however,  we  were  able  to  converse  with 
some  of  them,  and  baptized  several.  On  the  23rd,  the  gov- 
ernor gave  us  permission  to  hold  meetings,  and  we  began 
doing  so.  1  visited  the  grave  of  Elder  John  Layton  on  the 
24th,  and  on  the  25th  arranged  to  leave  on  a  schooner  for 
Tahiti.  My  health  had  been  quite  poor  for  some  time.  I 
did  not  go  on  the  boat,  however,  for  it  was  so  heavily  laden 
that  there  was  no  room,  so  it  sailed  on  the  27th  without  me. 
Monday,  October  31st,  I  preached  the  funeral  sermon  of  a 
little  girl. 

On  the  5th  of  November,  the  Josephite  preacher  and 
his  wife  called  on  me.  In  the  evening  a  special  meeting  of 
the  people  was  held,  the  purpose  of  which  was  kept  secret 
from  us.  That  night  I  dreamed  I  was  on  trial  and  the  judge 
said  he  knew  I  was  not  guilty,  but  because  of  the  demand 
of   the  people  he  would  have  to  give   judgment  against  me 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  495 

and  assess  a  fine  of  twenty  dollars,  which  the  court  would 
pay.  I  awoke  and  told  Elder  Seegmiller  the  natives  had 
made  a  decision  against  us,  as  we  learned  the  next  day, 
when  the  governor  withdrew  from  us  the  privilege  of  hold- 
ing meetings. 

We  went  to  Mataura  on  November  7th,  to  see  a  man 
possessed  of  a  devil.  The  evil  spirit  was  dumb,  and  for  three 
years  the  man  had  not  spoken  to  anyone,  but  sat  or  laid 
around.  We  also  visited  the  school  where  there  were  about 
thirty  students,  and  the  teacher  called  one  pupil  to  the  black- 
board, where  the  exercise  in  writing  required  of  her  was 
well  done.  Then  we  called  on  Tetuatehiapa,  the  oldest 
woman  on  the  island.  She  was  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years  of  age,  and  had  been  blind  for  eight  years.  The 
people  said  she  had  insisted  that  she  would  live  till  the  ser- 
vants of  God  came  from  Salt  Lake  City.  When  told  who 
we  were  she  rejoiced  greatly,  and  exclaimed,  "I  always  said 
you  would  come  again!  The  Lord  has  brought  you,  and 
has  prolonged  my  life  till  you  came.  I  rejoice  exceedingly 
at  the  mercies  of  the  Lord!"  On  November  8th,  we  bap- 
tized her  with  seven  others,  and  on  the  10th  administered 
to  her  for  her  blindness  by  laying  hands  on  her  head  and 
blessing  her.  When  we  had  attended  to  the  ordinance  she 
stated  that  she  could  see  a  little,  which  was  more  than  she 
had  done  for  eight  years.  "God  be  praised  for  His  mercies," 
she  said. 

Sunday,  November  13th,  I  preached  twice  to  large 
congregations  at  Mahu,  where  we  arrived  on  the  nth.  We 
also  had  a  number  of  applicants  for  baptism,  and  on  the 
14th  eight  members  were  added  to  the  Church  by  the 
ordinance,  and  we  blessed  two  children.  A  Catholic  priest 
called  on  us,  and  I  had  a  pointed  discussion  with  him  on 
authority  in  the  Church,  and  the  true  Gospel.  We  parted 
good  friends,  he  promising  to  come  again  next  day,  but  he 
did  not  do  so;  although  he  passed  by  the  house,  but  never 


496  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

loooked  towards  us.  On  the  16th  we  added  five  more  souls 
to  the  Church  by  baptism. 

Our  missionary  labors  continued  in  different  villages, 
and  on  November  23  Elder  Seegmiller  baptized  the  school 
teacher  at  Mataura,  also  two  of  the  governor's  daugh- 
ters. On  the  21st  the  captain  of  a  schooner  that  had 
called  at  the  island  told  us  we  could  go  to  Tahiti  on  his  ves- 
sel, starting  on  the  24th.  Elder  Seegmiller  aided  me  in 
preparing  for  the  voyage,  and  I  bade  farewell  to  the  people, 
who  were  very  much  attached  to  us.  I  shook  hands  with 
the  governor,  when  his  eyes  filled  with  tears,  he  kissed  me, 
and  was  so  full  of  emotion  that  it  was  difficult  for  him  to 
speak.  In  due  time  the  vessel  sailed,  Elder  Seegmiller  go- 
ing on  it  to  Mataura,  three  miles  down  the  coast,  where  he 
went  ashore,  as  we  had  agreed,  and  I  was  alone  so  far  as  a 
missionary  companion  was  concerned. 

At  Mataura  the  French  police  justice  and  his  wife,  a 
Marquesas  woman,  came  aboard,  and  at  6  p.  m.  we  weighed 
anchor.  The  schooner  was  very  much  crowded,  the  cargo 
including  four  women,  two  children,  fourteen  men,  three 
horses,  twenty  hogs,  one  goat,  one  dog,  about  one  hundred 
chickens,  eight  or  ten  turkeys,  eleven  thousand  cocoanuts, 
and  a  lot  of  other  things.  The  most  comfortable  place  I 
could  find  was  on  the  companion-way,  where  I  sat,  as  I  was 
not  able  to  use  my  crutches  on  the  vessel.  The  first  night 
out  I  found  I  could  not  sleep  in  my  berth,  as  it  was  too 
cramped  and  the  tobacco  smoke  and  foul  air  were  too  much 
for  me,  so  I  camped  on  the  companion-way  with  my  blanket, 
and  was  very  seasick.  The  next  night  I  fared  about  the 
same,  and  it  was  pretty  hard  on  me;  but  the  third  night, 
Saturday,  I  went  below  before  the  others  did,  and  obtained 
a  fairly  good  night's  rest. 

Sunday,  November  27,  we  sighted  Tahiti,  but  a  heavy 
rain  and  calm  held  us  back  over  Monday,  Tuesday  and 
Wednesday.     On   the  last-named   day   the  crew  caught  a 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  JAMES    S.    BROWN.  497 

shark,  and  we  had  some  of  it  boiled  for  supper.  Thursday, 
December  ist,we landed  at  Papeete  in  a  heavy  rainstorm,  and 
quite  exhausted.  I  was  met  by  my  son  Elando,  and  once  on 
shore  I  was  refreshed  with  palatable  food  and  good  news 
from  my  family.  We  spent  our  time  the  next  fourteen  days 
in  missionary  labors  in  Papeete,  to  the  best  advantage,  and 
on  the  sixth  baptized  eight  persons  into  the  Church.  My 
health  was  decidedly  poor  at  this  time. 

We  had  arranged  with  Mr.  Henry  Marvin  for  passage  on 
the  schooner  Avaroa  to  the  Tuamotu  islands,  sailing  on  Dec- 
ember 15th.  We  left  on  the  date  named  and  though  we  had 
some  headwinds  and  calms,  we  had  a  good  voyage;  for  the 
captain  (a  Hawaiian)  and  crew  were  agreeable,  the  vessel 
was  kept  clean  and  in  perfect  order,  and  the  table  was  well 
supplied  with  a  good  variety  of  food.  We  sighted  several 
islands,  and  on  the  20th  stopped  at  Niau,  which  has  a  popu- 
lation of  one  hundred,  all  members  of  the  Josephite  Church. 
Their  presiding  officer  and  a  number  of  his  people  came  on 
board  and  gave  us  six  chickens  and  six  baskets  of  cocoa- 
nuts  as  a  token  of  friendship.  I  talked  to  them  on  the 
Gospel  message  I  had  to  deliver  as  a  missionary. 

We  went  ashore  on  the  island  of  Apatai  on  the  23rd, 
as  Mr.  Marvin  had  some  business  there.  The  people  were 
rather  indifferent  to  us  as  missionaries.  I  visited  the  gov- 
ernor, who  said  he  had  been  my  servant  on  the  island  of 
Anaa  when  I  was  there  forty  years  before.  He  was 
very  much  afflicted  with  a  carbuncle  on  the  back  of 
his  head  and  neck,  and  could  move  about  only  by  crawling 
on  his  hands  and  knees.  I  lanced  his  carbuncle,  and  he 
recovered. 

Christmas  Day,  1892,  was  spent  on  the  schooner 
Avaroa,  and  we  sought  the  coolest  place  we  could  find  and 
ate  watermelons,  thinking  ot  our  mountain  home  and  the 
loved  ones  in  Utah.  Next  day  we  sailed  into  port  at  Taroa, 
and  were  met  by  Elder  Joseph  W.  Damron  and  some  native 


498  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Saints.  I  was  welcomed  to  the  home  of  Mr.  Mapuhi,  & 
seven-roomed  frame  house,  built  on  pillars  of  coral  stone 
and  beautifully  furnished  in  American  fashion.  The  place 
seemed  perfectly  lovely,  and  a  surprise  for  us  in  the  way  of 
a  spring  mattress  to  sleep  on  was  doubly  welcome.  The 
following  day  was  the  27th,  and  I  had  the  privilege  of 
preaching  to  a  good  audience. 

The  28th  of  December  was  Wednesday,  and  the  morn- 
ing was  marked  by  the  receipt  of  an  invitation  to  a  triple 
wedding  and  feast  to  be  held  that  afternoon  at  the  govern- 
ment building.  I  attended  and  by  request  performed  the 
marriage  ceremony  for  the  three  couples.  I  also  availed 
myself  of  the  opportunity  to  address  the  assemblage  briefly 
on  the  subjects  of  marriage  and  baptism  for  the  dead.  This 
day  I  had  the  unusual  experience  of  standing  in  the  door  of 
the  house  where  we  were  lodging  and  viewing  a  large 
school  of  whales  pass  by. 

New  Year's  day,  1893,  was  the  time  for  a  conference 
of  the  Saints  to  be  held  on  the  island  of  Faiti,  so  preparations 
were  made  on  December  29th  for  us  to  leave  Taroa.  On 
this  date  I  met  a  native  Chilean,  who  said  he  came  from 
San  Antonio,  about  thirty  miles  south  of  Valparaiso.  When 
I  heard  this,  it  called  to  my  mind  a  statement  of  Dr.  J.  M. 
Bernhisel,  that  he  had  learned  from  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith  that  that  was  near  the  place  where  Lehi  and  his 
colony,  told  of  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  landed  in  America, 
on  their  journey  from  Jerusalem.  In  the  afternoon  we 
started,  on  Mapuhi's  schooner,  for  Faiti,  six  boatloads  of 
the  Saints  going  along.  Our  vessel  had  twenty  persons 
aboard.  The  wind  was  fair,  and  on  Saturday,  December 
31st,  we  reached  Faiti.  landing  about  9:30  a.  m.  Our  re- 
ception was  rather  cool,  as  we  were  ushered  into  a  large 
room,  almost  bare  save  a  long  table  and  a  few  chairs,  and 
were  left  alone  much  of  the  time.  However,  we  had  good 
beds  at  night.     In  the  morning,   Sunday,  January    1st,  we 


•    AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  499 

held  meeting,  and  I  called  for  those  who  had  known  me  on 
my  former  mission  to  stand  up.  Seventeen  persons  arose 
to  their  feet,  and  stated  that  they  remembered  and  recog- 
nized me.  Our  meetings  at  conference  were  well  attended. 
The  presiding  officer  of  the  Church  in  the  Tuamotu  islands 
was  a  blind  man,  and  he  asked  me  a  number  of  questions 
to  satisfy  himself  that  I  was  the  same  one  who  had  been 
there  forty  years  before  with  Elders  Pratt  and  Grouard.  I 
baptized  him  at  that  time.  When  he  was  fully  convinced  he 
remarked  that  if  I  had  not  come  he  would  not  have  received 
the  young  missionaries,  referring  to  Elders  Damron,  Jones, 
and  my  son  Elando. 

It  was  January  4th  before  the  people  gave  us  the  pub- 
lic reception  that  was  customary.  At  the  ceremony  an  aged 
man  related  how  they  had  prayed  that  I  might  come  back 
to  them  again,  to  teach  them  the  true  Gospel.  That  day 
the  French  gen  d'  armes  made  some  charges  of  irregularity 
against  the  owner  of  our  boat,  saying  the  captain  had  not 
the  proper  papers.  It  was  generally  understood,  however,, 
that  the  trouble  originated  with  the  Catholic  priest.  Matters 
were  finally  settled.  Next  morning  I  went  fishing  with  our 
landlord  and  caught  six  nice  rock  cod,  where  the  sea  was 
ten  fathoms  deep.  The  water  was  so  clear  that  through  a 
glass  we  could  see  the. bottom,  with  the  myriad  beauties  and 
great  variety  of  fish  at  that  place.  The  anchor  of  the  canoe 
got  fast  in  a  coral  reef,  and  our  host  dived  down  and  re- 
leased it. 

We  continued  to  hold  meetings  all  the  week  to  give 
the  people  a  correct  understanding  of  our  mission;  then,  on 
January  9th,  my  son  Elando  and  I  sailed  for  the  island  of 
Anaa,  arriving  there  at  noon  that  day,  and  being  warmly 
welcomed  by  the  people  of  Tuuhora,  where  we  landed. 

On  the  nth,  I  walked  over  the  ground  where  I  had 
been  held  a  prisoner  by  the  French  government,  and  visited 
the  cemetery  where  was  the   grave    of  the   policeman  who 


5oo 


LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


had  been  killed  in  an  affray  subsequent  to  my  departure. 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  13th,  I  visited  the  graves  of  those 
who  were  hanged  by  the  French  government  for  their  part 
in  the  tragedy.  Upon  my  return  from  the  cemetery,  a  war- 
rant was  served  on  me  by  a  policeman.  It  was  in  both 
French  and  English,  the  English  translation  reading  as  fol- 
lows: 

"Monsieur  Jacob,  Ministre  Mormon: 

"The  gen  d'  arme  chief  of  port  at  Anaa  invites  Mr. 
Jacob  (James),  Mormon  minister  at  Tuuhora,  to  come  to 
the  government  house  at  Tuuhora  (Fare  Hau),  to  listen  to 
a  communication  which  he  desires  him  to  hear. 

"Cy.  Cours, 
"The  Gen  d'  arme  Chief  of  Post. 
"Tuuhora,  13th  January,  1893." 

Of  course  I  responded  to  this  invitation  from  the  chief 
of  police,  so  with  my  son  Elando  reported  as  requested,  to 
listen  to  an  order  made  by  the  governor  of  the  Tuamotu 
group  of  islands.  The  chief  of  police  warned  us  particularly 
that  if  we  caused  the  slightest  disturbance  among  the  people 
over  the  meeting  house,  or  otherwise,  it  might  result  seri- 
ously to  me.  This  was  repeated  six  times,  in  an  emphatic 
tone  of  voice.  The  officer  refused  utterly  to  hear  anything 
from  us,  saying,  "I  follow  out  my  instructions.  You  must 
not  step  your  foot  inside  of  the  meeting  house  at  Temeraia, 
nor  the  house  here." 

Finding  it  was  useless  for  us  to  say  anything,  we  bade 
the  chief  of  police  and  the  interpreter  (Mr.  Burns,  an  Eng- 
lishman) good-bye,  and  left  them  to  their  stench  of  strong 
drink. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  5OI 


CHAPTER    LXVI. 


PREACHING  AND  VISITING— PEARL  FISHING- PLACE  OF  MY  ARREST  IN  1851 
—ACCIDENT  TO  A  YOUNG  MAN-INCIDENT  WITH  THE  GOVERNOR 
OF  ANAA— SEE  A  LEPER— CAPTURE  OF  AN  FEE— CONFERENCE  ON 
ANAA— TIME  OF  DEDICATION  OF  SALT  LAKE  TEMPLE— SPECIALLY 
INTERESTING  MEETINGS- NEW  ELDERS  FROM  UTAH-START  BACK 
TO  TAHITI— ANOTHER  FUNERAL  SERMON-MEET  THE  FRENCH 
GOVERNOR  OF  THE  TUAMOTU  IS  LANDS -HIS  CORDIAL  GREET- 
I  NO-ARRIVE  AT  PAPEETE— APPOINTMENTS  FOR  THE  NEW  MIS- 
SIONARIES—FAIL TO  GET  A  PASSAGE  TO  TUBUOI— MY  HEALTH 
VERY  POOR-LEARN  OF  THE  DEDICATION  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE 
TEMPLE— ELDERS  UNANIMOUS  IN  THE  DECISION  THAT  1  SHOULD 
RETURN  HOME  BECAUSE  OF  Ml  ILLNESS— 1  DEMUR— CONCLUDE 
TOGO-TROUBLE  ON  ANAA— MY  SIXTY-FIFTH  BIRTHDAY— NOTABLE 
KINDNESS  OF  A  NATIVE  CHILD— SAIL  FROM  PAPEETE— DIFFI- 
CULTY IN  LANDING  FROM  SMALL  BOATS— IN  THE  SOCIETY' 
[©LANDS- BEACH  BAN  PBANCISCO— ARRIVE  IN  SALT  LAKE  CITY 
-REPORT  THE  SUCCESSFUL  OPENING  OF  THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS 
MISSION. 

AFTER  the  severe  warning  from  the  governor,  we  re- 
turned to  our  missionary  labors,  preaching  to  the 
people  as  we  could  find  opportunity.  The  Sunday  follow- 
ing this  occurrence  (January  15th)  we  had  three  well-at- 
tended meetings  in  a  private  meeting  house,  and  on  Monday 
we  went  in  a  boat  to  Putuahara,  a  town  of  two  thousand 
people  on  mv  first  visit  but  now  dwindled  down  to  a  place 
with  less  than  sixty  inhabitants.  All  the  ablebodied  men 
were  away,  engaged  in  pearl-fishing.  This  is  the  place 
where  the  people  killed  the  French  policeman  and  severe- 
ly beat  the  Catholic  priest,  as  already  stated. 

We  conversed  with  and  preached  to  the  inhabitants 
until  the  25th,  when  we  went  to  Otopipi,  but  returned  that 
same  day,  as  our  friends  there  were  absent  from  home. 
Our  missionary  work  in  Putuahara  continued  till  February 


;02  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

4th,  when  we  again  went  to  Otopipi.  Next  day  being 
Sunday  I  had  the  privilege  of  preaching  to  a  large  congre- 
gation. There  were  thirty-one  native  members  of  the 
Church  present.  Many  of  the  people  in  attendance  were 
Catholics,  and  my  remarks  raised  quite  a  discussion  among 
them,  some  of  them  being  for  and  others  against  me. 
Early  on  Monday,  according  to  previous  arrangement,  we 
sailed  around  to  Temeraia,  receiving  a  hearty  welcome 
there. 

At  this  place  we  met  the  granddaughter  of  John  Haw- 
kins, once  an  Elder  in  this  mission  and  now  a  Josephite.  I 
also  visited  the  spot  where  I  had  been  arrested  in  the  year 
1851.  The  house  had  been  cleared  away  since  then,  and 
an  old  wrecked  boat  occupied  the  site.  We  held  meetings 
and  had  a  large  attendance,  though  the  weather  was  in- 
tensely hot  and  oppressive,  and  my  health  quite  poor. 

On  February  17th  a  young  man  named  Temia  fell 
thirty-live  feet  from  a  tree  and  broke  his  arm  in  three  places, 
the  bones  coming  through  his  skin  in  one  place.  With 
such  hot  weather,  and  no  surgical  or  medical  attendance 
available,  it  looked  as  though  his  chances  for  recovery 
seemed  slight.  We  visited  him  again  on  the  28th,  and  his 
case  looked  even  more  serious.  We  administered  to  him, 
and  he  ultimately  recovered.  Towards  the  latter  part  of 
the  month  the  people  began  to  feel  more  friendly  to  us, 
and  received  us  more  cordially  than  at  first. 

While  we  were  in  meeting  on  March  1st,  the  gover- 
nor passed,  and  as  he  was  averse  to  recognizing  us  then  as 
previously,  I  called  to  him  and  asked  the  reason.  His  re- 
ply was  that  it  was  not  wise  to  do  so.  I  continued  to  talk 
with  him,  and  he  became  more  sociable,  confessing  that  it 
was  the  darkness  of  his  heart  that  had  caused  him  to  act 
so  improperly.  I  advised  him  to  repent  of  his  sins  and  ask 
•the  Lord  to  give  him  light,  and  he  felt  better.  Two  days 
.after  this   I  beheld   the   unusual    sight    of    a    leper,  as  one 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  503 

passed  the  house — a  painful  picture  to  behold.  The  third 
day  a  man  and  his  wife  were  baptized  into  the  Church.  A 
visit  to  Tuuhora  was  made  on  March  6th.  and  on  the  re- 
turn voyage,  while  diving  for  pearls,  an  eel  was  discovered 
under  a  rock  in  deep  water.  It  took  quite  a  light  to  cap- 
ture it,  but  it  was  a  fine  one — about  four  feet  long.  We 
went  to  Putuahara  on  March  13,  and  during  the  remainder 
of  the  month  continued  our  missionary  labors,  meeting  with 
no  unusual  experiences. 

On  March  31st,  Elders  Damron  and  Jones  came  from 
Fakariva,  and  native  members  of  the  Church  began  to  ar- 
rive in  preparation  for  our  conference,  which  was  set  for 
April  6th,  1893.  At  7  o'clock  that  morning  we  assembled 
in  conference,  being  the  same  actual  time  when  the  Saints 
were  meeting  for  the  dedication  of  the  Temple  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  Utah — 10  a.  m.  at  the  latter  place.  I  explained  to 
the  Saints  in  conference  the  nature  and  importance  of  the 
event  just  named.  Elder  Damron  also  spoke  on  temple 
building,  and  after  the  close  of  our  meeting  we  went  to  the 
seashore,  where  we  held  a  short  service,  and  my  son  Elando 
baptized  five  persons  into  the  Church.  We  also  ordained 
three  native  Elders  and  appointed  two  of  them  to  preside 
over  branches  of  the  Church.  The  conference  continued 
till  Sunday  evening,  and  all  in  attendance  had  a  most  enjoy- 
able time. 

We  had  received  word  on  Saturday  that  eight  Elders 
had  arrived  at  Papeete  from  Utah,  and  at  the  close  of  con- 
ference we  decided  that  we  had  better  return  to  Tahiti  as 
soon  as  possible.  Next  morning  we  bade  farewell  to  the 
weeping  Saints,  and  set  sail  for  Tuuhora.  From  there  we 
took  passage  for  Taroa.  On  April  12th,  we  stopped  at 
Apatai,  where  I  went  ashore  and  met  a  number  of  people 
whom  I  had  baptized  on  my  former  mission.  They  did 
not  display  much  of  a  hospitable  feeling,  as  none  invited 
me  to  their  houses. 


504  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

Taroa  was  reached  on  April  16th,  and  the  hearty  wel- 
come there  was  highly  appreciated  after  a  voyage  which 
had  been  very  unpleasant  to  me,  as  I  had  been  quite  ill. 
We  were  met  by  Messrs.  Marvin  and  Mapuhi,  and  escorted 
to  the  latters  fine  residence.  It  being  Sunday,  we  at- 
tended meetings.  My  son  Elando  was  also  called  on,  on 
on  April  21st,  to  preach  the  funeral  sermon  over  a  young 
man  who  had  died  of  consumption. 

On  the  morning  of  April  27th,  the  schooner  Avaroa 
came  into  port,  having  on  board  the  French  governor  of 
the  Tuamotu  group,  also  the  native  governor  of  Taroa.  We 
had  a  friendly  *chat  with  them,  the  Frenchman  saying  he 
had  been  in  Salt  Lake  City.  He  invited  me  to  visit  him 
when  I  went  to  Fakariva  again.  Next  day  the  people  as- 
sembled to  pay  their  respects  to  the  governor,  and  we  also 
had  another  pleasant  chat  with  him. 

We  started  from  Taroa  on  Monday,  May  1st,  on  the 
Avaroa,  but  as  the  vessel  was  going  out  to  sea  she  struck 
on  a  rock  which  disabled  tne  rudder,  and  it  took  till  even- 
ing to  repair  it.  Then  we  sailed  for  Fakariva,  reaching 
there  the  following  afternoon.  The  French  governor  went 
ashore,  and  later  we  did  the  same.  Next  morning  we  took 
breakfast  with  him,  being  invited  to  come  again  whenever 
we  were  on  the  island.  That  afternoon  we  sailed  for  Tahiti, 
reaching  Papeete  harbor  on  Saturday,  May  6th,  and  meet- 
ing there  Elders  Edward  Sudbury,  Frank  Goff,  Frank  Cut- 
ler, Eugene  M.  Cannon,  Carl  J.  Larsen,  Thomas  L.  Wood- 
bury, Fred  C.  Rossiter  and  Jesse  M.  Fox,  all  from  Utah. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  missionaries  held  on  May  13th, 
Elders  Carl  J.  Larsen  and  Thomas  L.  Woodbury  were  ap- 
pointed to  go  to  the  Tuamotu  islands,  Elders  Frank  Goff  and 
Jesse  M.  Fox  to  Tubuoi,  with  my  son  Elando  and  myself 
and  the  others  remaining  on  Tahiti  for  a  short  time. 
Through  Mr.  Marvin  wre  engaged  passage  on  a  French 
man-of-war  going  to  Tubuoi,   the   captain   giving   his  per- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  505 

mission.  But  after  we  had  packed  our  trunks  and  pur- 
chased our  provisions  for  the  journey,  the  captain  suggested 
that  we  had  better  get  a  permit  from  the  governor.  We 
tried  to  do  so,  but  that  official  responded  with  an  abrupt 
"No."     So  we  had  to  await  another  opportunity. 

For  some  time  previous  to  this  date  my  health  had 
been  poorer  than  usual,  and  it  grew  worse,  so  that  it  was 
with  difficulty  I  attended  to  missionary  labors  and  to  con- 
ducting the  mission  affairs.  I  continued  at  work,  however, 
the  best  I  could,  and  my  fellow-missionaries  w7ere  devoted 
to  their  duties.  Some  of  them  were  in  the  best  of  health, 
but  others  were  not  so  fortunate;  indeed,  one  of  them,  Ed- 
ward Sudbury,  was  under  the  necessity  of  returning  home 
shortly  after  the  date  of  which  I  write.  On  May  25th  we 
received  mail  telling  us  of  the  dedication  of  the  Temple  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  the  notable  events  connected  there- 
with. 

I  had  tried  to  get  a  hall  in  which  to  hold  meetings  for 
the  European  residents  of  Papeete,  my  last  efforts  in  that 
line  being  on  June  13th,  but  I  was  unsuccessful,  so  we  had 
to  do  without,  and  endeavor  to  reach  them  and  the  natives 
in  other  ways.  On  June  25th  we  held  a  council  meeting  of 
all  the  Elders  on  Tahiti,  eight  in  number,  at  which  methods 
for  the  best  conduct  of  the  mission  were  considered. 
Among  other  events  of  the  meeting  was  the  unanimous  ex- 
pression by  my  fellow-missionaries  of  the  opinion  that  my 
state  of  health  was  such  that  I  should  go  home.  A  mo- 
tion that  I  do  so  was  put  and  carried,  all  but  myself  voting 
in  favor  of  my  going  by  the  next  mail  steamer,  which 
sailed  July  8th.  I  thought  that  if  conditions  improved  before 
that  time,  I  would  be  at  liberty  to  remain  longer  in  the 
mission  field.  Elder  Sudbury  was  also  in  such  health  that 
he  was  booked  to  start  home  at  the  same  time,  and  my 
son  Elando  was  selected  to  accompany  us,  and  give  me  the 
attention   I    needed. 

32 


506  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

My  health  showing  no  signs  of  improvement,  passage 
was  secured  on  the  brig  Galilee,  bound  for  San  Francisco. 
On  June  27th  we  had  seen  two  persons  from  Anaa,  who 
informed  us  there  was  trouble  there,  the  missionaries  not 
obtaining  their  rights  to  preach.  1  gave  such  advice  as  I 
felt  would  be  safe  to  follow,  and  Elder  J.  W.  Damron,  who 
succeeded  me  in  the  presidency  of  the  mission,  was  left  to 
deal  with  affairs. 

On  July  4th,  my  sixty-fifth  birthday,  John  Hawkins,  one 
of  my  fellow-laborers  of  forty-two  years  before,  who  had 
apostatized  and  joined  the  Josephites,  called,  with  others. 
He  was  particularly  bitter  towards  the  Church.  That  day 
little  Tapura,  between  six  and  seven  years  old,  brought 
me,  of  her  own  volition,  a  large  and  beautiful  bouquet  of 
flowers — an  act  of  kindness  scarcely  to  be  expected  in  one 
so  young.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Topaz,  who  was 
very  kind  to  us. 

The  day  previous  to  our  going  on  board,  the  neigh- 
bors brought  in  bananas  and  cocoanuts  for  our  use  on  the 
voyage,  and  we  were  treated  well.  We  bade  farewell  to 
friends  and  associates,  all  being  sorry  at  the  parting,  and 
on  July  8th  I  sailed  for  the  last  time  from  the  harbor  of 
Papeete,  island  of  Tahiti.  The  words  of  Apostle  Lorenzo 
Snow,  spoken  to  me  before  commencing  my  journey,  had 
been  fulfilled.  Though  this  mission  had  not  been  so  long 
as  some  of  the  others  I  had  filled,  it  had  been  one  of  the 
greatest  and  best  I  had  performed,  so  far  as  relates  to  the 
work  I  had  been  the  means  of  accomplishing  in  reopening 
and  establishing  the  Society  Islands  mission. 

Our  vessel  this  voyage  was  very  different  to  those  we 
often  had  to  use  in  our  travels  from  place  to  place,  even  in 
the  same  island.  We  also  bade  adieu  to  the  native  method 
of  landing  from  boats,  which  always  brought  discomfort 
and  often  serious  peril.  For  illustration,  it  was  no  uncom- 
mon   thing,   when   approaching    harbor,   to    have    to    pass 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  507 

through  breakers  across  a  coral  reef  where  there  was  barely 
room  for  the  boat  to  glide  between'  the  rocks.  Some- 
times the  vessel  would  be  run  close  to  the  opening,  the 
occupants  would  spring  out  on  to  the  rocks  on  each  side  of 
the  passage,  and  seizing  the  boat,  would  hold  it  there  till  the 
large  or  -three-twin-sisters"  wave  came  along;  and  then, 
by  its  aid.  would  drag  or  push  the  boat  through  in  safety. 
In  such  times  as  these  my  lame  condition  was  hindersome 
to  the  extent  of  being  more  than  annoying;  it  was  exasper- 
ating. But  I  always  got  through,  though  it  was  hard  work, 
and  my  companions  gave  the  needed  assistance  with  per- 
fect willingness. 

The  voyage  to  San  Francisco  was  without  particular 
event  more  than  is  usual  on  such  occasions,  as  was  also 
the  journey  from  San  Francisco  to  Salt  Lake  City  by 
rail.  We  reached  home  about  the  middle  of  August,  and 
were  welcomed  cordially.  I  reported  to  the  First  Presi- 
dency the  condition  of  affairs  in  the  mission,  the  progress 
we  had  made,  with  the  difficulties  that  were  to  be  met  with. 
Elando  and  I  had  been  absent  for  sixteen  months,  and  had 
worked  with  diligence  to  perform  our  part. 

Our  efforts  had  been  blessed  of  the  Lord,  for  many 
people  who  had  been  astray  from  the  path  of  life  were  led  to 
direct  their  footsteps  in  the  straight  and  narrow  path.  The 
Society  Islands  mission  had  been  reopened  successfully, 
and  yet  continues  to  prosper,  the  membership  in  the  Church 
there  being  quite  numerous. 


508  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 


CHAPTER    LXVII. 

[NVITED  TO  THE  MIDWINTEB  PAIR,  SAN  FRANCISCO,  AND  ACCEPT— 
JOURNEY  TO  CALIFORNIA -KIND  TREATMENT  RECEIVED  — AN 
HONORED  GUEST— WRITE  A  PAMPHLET  ON  THE  DISCOVER! 
OF  GOLD  AT  SUTTER'S  MM. I.  RACE— FIRST  ACCURATE  ACCOUNT 
PUBLISHED— AGAIN  AT  HOME— PREPARING  MY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
FOB  PUBLICATION— A  GREAT  TASK— PROGRESS  OF  THE  WORK 
—MY  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  MISSION  TO  THE  PACIFIC  [SLANDS 
—UTAH'S  SEMI-CENTENNIAL  JUBILEE— NOT  A  UTAH  PIONKEB 
oF  L847— PIONEER  JUST  THE  SAME— MORMON  BATTALION  RECOG- 
NIZED INTHE  UTAH CELE I JRATION— INVITED  TO  JOIN  IN  THE  PAR- 
ADE—COMPARATIVE NARROWNESS  OF  COMMITTEE'S  COURTESY- 
LETTERS  FROM  CALIFORNIA,  REGARDING  THE  PIONEER  CELE- 
BRATION THERE  IN  L898— INVITED  WITH  THREE  OTHERS  OF  THE 
MORMON  BATTALION,  TO  BE  SPECIAL  GUESTS  AS  THE  SURVIVORS 
OF  THE  PARTY  THAT  DISCOVERED  GOLD  IN  CALIFORNIA  IN  1848— 
APPREC1  \TloN  OF  TDK  COURTESY   EXTENDED  BY  CALIPORNIANS. 

AS  my  health  was  far  from  satisfactory,  I  was  able  to  do 
but  little  after  my  return  from  the  Suciety  Islands  in 
August,  1893.  I  gave  my  farm  some  attention,  and  trav- 
eled occasionally  among  the  people.  In  February,  1894,  I 
received  an  invitation  from  ]ames  H.  Love,  manager  for 
the  concession  of  the  '49  mining  camp  at  the  Midwinter 
Fair,  in  Golden  Gate  Park,  San  Francisco,  to  be  present 
there.  The  invitation  came  to  me  through  Israel  Evans,  of 
Lehi,  Utah,  who  had  been  with  me  in  California  in  1848. 
I  accepted,  and  in  company  with  Israel  Evans  and  my  son 
James  T.  Brown,  went  to  California  in  the  month  named. 
This  visit  to  California  extended  about  thirty  days.  We 
were  treated  with  the  greatest  kindness.  Our  place  of 
lodging  at  the  miner's  cabin  on  the  fair  grounds  was  com- 
fortably fitted,  and  besides  viewing  the  most  excellent  ex- 
hibits of  this  notable  Midwinter  Exposition,  we  also  visited 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  509 

most  of  the  places  of  interest  in  the  locality.  We  were 
honored  guests  in  every  parade,  and  nothing  more  could  be 
desired  in  the  way  of  courtesies  to  make  our  stay  pleasant. 

While  in  California  on  this  occasion  I  wrote  my  pam- 
phlet. --Authentic  History  of  the  First  Discovery  of  Gold  in 
Sutter's  Mill  Race.  California."  This  was  the  first  accurate 
historv  of  that  event  I  had  seen  in  print,  all  the  other  ac- 
counts having  been  gathered  from  hearsay  and  broken  nar- 
ratives, while  I  had  the  advantage  of  being  an  actual  partici- 
pant in  the  historic  occurrence. 

In  March.  1894.  I  returned  home,  and  continued  my 
ordinary  labors,  my  health  being  considerably  improved.  At 
this  time  I  began  preparing  my  journal  for  publication,  hav- 
ing to  rewrite  it  to  place  it  in  presentable  form,  as  much  of 
it  had  been  noted  down  under  very  adverse  circumstances; 
it  was  also  necessary  to  condense  it  greatly,  many  items  of 
real  interest  being  abbreviated  to  a  considerable  extent. 

I  believe  now  that  if  I  had  realized  at  the  outset  what 
a  great  task  it  was.  I  should  not  have  attempted  it,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  I  was  fully  aware  that  my  life's  ex- 
perience had  been  tilled  with  unusually  interesting  episodes. 
But  I  had  not  been  accustomed  to  giving  up  a  work  once 
undertaken  with  a  good  aim;  so  I  have  continued  to  the  pres- 
ent, and  as  I  prepare  this  chapter,  the  earlier  part  of  the 
work  is  in  the  hands  of  the  printer.  The  only  literary  ex- 
perience I  have  had  previous  to  this  work  is  writing  a  his- 
tory of  the  first  mission  to  the  Pacific  Islands  and  the  sub- 
sequent progress  of  events  in  the  Society  Islands  mission  up 
to  1893,  the  manuscript  of  which  history  was  filed  with  and 
is  now  a  part  of  the  records  of  the  Church  historian's  of- 
fice. 

In  July,  1897,  Utah's  Semi-Centennial  Jubilee  was  cele- 
brated, the  occasion  being  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the 
entrance  of  the  Mormon  Pioneers  into  the  valley  of  the 
Great  Salt    Lake,  July    24,    1847.     The   chief   ceremonies 


5IO  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

were  in  Salt  Lake  City,  July  20th  to  25th,  and  I  had  the 
honor  and  pleasure  of  being  present.  I  had  not  the  privi- 
lege of  being  classed  as  one  of  the  pioneers,  for  these  were 
limited  in  the  celebration  to  those  who  reached  Utah  in  1847, 
and  I  did  not  arrive  there  from  the  west  till  1848.  With 
the  Mormon  Battalion  members,  however,  I  was  a  Mormon 
pioneer,  in  the  memorable  journey  across  the  country  to  the 
Pacific;  I  was  also  a  pioneer  in  California,  and  later  in  Utah 
and  surrounding  places.  The  committee  on  the  semi-cen- 
tennial celebration,  however,  noted  the  fact  that  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Mormon  Battalion  were  entitled  to  recognition 
in  connection  with  the  Utah  pioneer  band,  for  the  work  of 
both  was  intimately  associated.  In  pursuance  of  this,  there 
was  sent  to  me  under  date  of  July  19th,  a  letter  containing 
this  announcement : 

"  Survivors  of  the  Mormon  Battalion,  the  Nauvoo 
Legion,  Captain  Ballo's  Band,  and  the  Martial  Band,  are 
requested  to  meet  at  Pioneer  Square  on  Tuesday  next,  July 
20th,  at  9  o'clock  a.  m.,  sharp,  for  the  purpose  of  marching 
in  advance  of  the  original  band  of  Pioneers  to  witness  the 
unveiling  ceremonies  upon  that  occasion.  Those  who  are 
able  to  walk  are  earneetly  requested  to  do  so.  but  those  who 
are  too  feeble  to  walk  will  join  them  at  the  Monument. 

"Hoping  to  see  you  with  us  at  the  appointed  time,  I  am, 
"Yours  respectfully. 

"H.  F.  McGarvie, 
"Assistant  Director-General. ,r 

I  responded  to  this  limited  notice,  in  common  with  other 
members  of  the  Mormon  Battalion  at  hand.  But  the  sum- 
mary treatment  was  in  such  strong  contrast  to  the  consider- 
ation and  courtesy  extended  at  the  Midwinter  Fair,  and  sub- 
sequently at  the  California  Golden  Jubilee,  that  its  effect 
was  to  enhance  greatly,  in  the  minds'  of   those  who  partici- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  51I 

pated  in  the  California  and  the  Utah  celebrations,  the  admir- 
ation for  the  California  managers  in  their  broad  and  thorough 
comprehension  of  the  amenities  of  such  historic  public 
events.  But  I  must  add  here  that  the  Mormon  Battalion 
members,  whose  journey  west  was  over  another  route  than 
that  followed  by  the  companies  which  came  direct  to  the 
Salt  Lake  Valley,  were  fitly  honored  in  the  hearts  of  Utah's 
people  as  of  the  pioneer  band  in  the  great  west. 
December  i,  1897,  I  received  the  following; 

ai2 16  Hyde  Street,  San  Francisco, 

'•November  29,  1897. 
"Mr.  James  S.  Broun : 

"Dear  Sir:  The  celebration  committee  of  the  Society 
of  California  Pioneers,  expect,  though  as  yet  no  formal 
action  has  been  taken,  to  invite  yourself,  Mr.  J.  Johnston,  Mr. 
Azariah  Smith,  and  Mr.  Henry  W.B  igler,  who  were  with 
Marshall  at  Coloma  on  the  24th  of  January,  1848,  to  come 
to  San  Francisco  as  honored  guests  of  the  Society,  and  at 
its  expense,  to  participate  in  the  semi-centennial  celebration 
of  that  eventful  day.  on  the  24th  of  January  next. 

"If  we  should  send  such  an  invitation  to  you,  will  you 

come  and  be  with  us?     Letters   from   Mr.    Bigler  and  Mr. 

Smith  lead  me  to  hope  that  they  will  accept  the   invitation. 

"So  soon  as  formal  action  is  taken,  you  will  be  informed 

either  by  myself  or  by  the  secretary  of  our  committee. 

"Yours  truly, 

"John  S.  Hittell. 
"A  member  of  the  Celebration  Committee." 

My  response  was  that  if  my  health  would  permit,  and 
all  things  were  satisfactory,  I  should  be  pleased  to  accept 
such  an  invitation.  I  received  another  letter  from  Mr.  Hit- 
tell,  under  date  of  December  15th,  in  which  he  said: 


512  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

"Mr.  James  S.  Brown: 

"Dear  Sir:  This  evening  the  celebration  committee 
of  the  Pioneer  Society  adopted  a  resolution  to  invite  you 
to  attend  the  Golden  Jubilee  of  California,  as  an  honored 
guest  of  the  Society,  which  will  provide  you  with  first  class 
transportation  from  and  to. your  home,  and  take  charge  of 
your  hotel  bill  from  the  22nd  of  January  till  the  31st  of  Jan- 
uary, 1S98,  in  this  city. 

"Mr.  B.  H.  and  Mr.  H.  B.  Luther,  brothers,  say  that 
they  were  at  Coloma  on  the  24th  of  January,  1848,  as  boys, 
with  their  father  and  mother.  Do  you  know  them  and  re- 
member when  they  reached  Coloma?  They  say  their 
mother,  who  was  with  them  there,  is  still  living." 

Under  date  of  December  25th,  Mr.  Hittell  also  wrote 
me : 

"Captain  James  S.  Brown: 

''Dear  Sir:  Please  let  me  know  the  amount  of  the 
railroad  fare  from  Salt  Lake  to  Ogden,  so  that  we  may  for- 
ward the  sum  to  you  by  letter;  we  expect  to  send  you  a 
ticket  from  Ogden  to  this  city,  including  a  lower  berth  in  a 
sleeping  car. 

••We  hope  that  you,  Bigler.  Smith  and  Johnston  will 
all  come  in  the  same  car.  I  have  addressed  a  similar  letter 
to  each  of  the  other  three. 

"Thanks  for  your  letter  of  December  20th.  I  was 
satisfied  that  Gregson  and  the  Luthers  were  not  at  the 
sawmill  on  the  24th  of  January,  1848. 

"I  suppose  the  best  train  would  be  the  one  leaving 
Salt  Lake  City  at  9:10  p.  m.,  on  January  20th,  arriving  at 
San  Francisco  January  22nd,  at  9:45  a.  m.  Does  that  suit 
you?" 

The  next  communication  on  the  subject  was  as  follows: 


autobiography  of  james  s.  brown.  513 

"Executive  Department,  the  Society  of  California 

Pioneers,  No.  5,  Pioneer  Place,  San  Francisco, 

California. 

'•January  7,  1898. 

"James  S.  Brown^  Esq.,  Salt  Lake  City: 

'•Dear  Sir:  The  Society  of  California  Pioneers  in- 
vites you  to  attend  the  Golden  Jubilee  Celebration  of  our 
State,  and  to  accept  the  hospitality  of  the  Society  in  San 
Francisco,  from  the  22nd  till  the  31st  of  January,  i8g8.  En- 
closed find  a  pass  from  the  S.  P.  R.  R.  Co.,  for  your  pas- 
sage from  Ogden  to  San  Francisco  and  return.  We  send 
you  today  by  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.;s  Express,  fifteen  dollars 
in  coin  to  pay  for  your  sleeping  berth  and  meals  on  the  way. 
We  have  engaged  a  lower  berth  for  you  on  the  Pullman 
car  which  leaves  Ogden  on  the  night  of  Thursday,  the  20th 
instant. 

"The  reception  committee  willmeetyouon  the  Oakland 
boat  on  the  morning  of  Saturday,  the  22nd,  and  will  wear 
the  badge  of  the  Society.  Should  you  miss  seeing  them 
you  will  go  to  the  Russ  House,  where  we  have  engaged 
rooms  and  board  for  you. 

'•Should  you  not  be  able  to  come,  please  return  the  en- 
closed railroad  pass,  and  notify  the  ticket  agent  at  Ogden 
that  you  will  not  use  the  sleeping  berth. 

••Yours  truly, 

■•J.  1.  Spear,  Secretary. 

••P.  S. — We  have  arranged  to  have  your  railroad  pass 
extended  for  thirtv  days  if  you  wish  it.  S." 

Like  my  Mormon  Battalion  companions  who  were  with 
me  on  the  memorable  24th  of  January,  1848,  I  could  not 
but  feel  highly  gratified  at  the  courtesy  extended,  and  look 
forward  with  pleasure  to  the  commemoration,  under  so 
favorable  circumstances  and  with  such  marvelous  progress 
as  California  had  made  in  civilization,    of   the   fiftieth   anni- 


514  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

versary  of  a  notable  event,  which  at  the  time  of  its  occur- 
rence, came  to  us  in  the  midst  of  hardships,  fatigue  and 
almost  exile  from  home  and  relatives,  yet  was  a  world- 
wonder  in  the  results  which  followed  the  announcement  to 
the  world  of  California's  great  gold  discovery. 


CHAPTER  LXVIII. 

TRIP  TO  CALIFORNIA— MET  BY  THE  COMMITTEE  ON  RECEPTION  OF 
THE  SOCIET1  OF  CALIFORNIA  PIONEERS— RECEIVED  WITH  GREAT 
CORDIALITY— HONORED  GUESTS  AT  CALIFORNIA'S  GOLDEN  JUBI- 
LEE—THE CELEBRATION— COURTESIES  EXTENDED  TO  MORMON 
BATTALION  MEMBERS  PRESENT  AT  THE  DISCOVERY  OF  <;OLD— 
RETURN  HOME— RESOLUTIONS  BY  SOCIETY  OF  CALIFORNIA  PIO- 
NEERS —  REPORT  OF  RECEPTION  COMMITTEE  OF  CALIFORNIA 
GOLDEN  .JUBILEE— SKETCH  OF  MARSHALL'S  SURVIVING  0OMPAN- 
[ON8— COMPLETE  MY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY— MY  SON  HOMEB  ACCT- 
DENTALL1  KILLED— THE  OLD  FOLKS— PUBLICATION  OF  LIFE  OF  A 
PIONEER— CONCLUSION. 

IN  response  to  the  invitation  from  the  Society  of  Cali- 
fornia Pioneers,  I  left  Salt  Lake  City  on  January  20, 
1898,  in  company  with  Henry  W.  Bigler,  Azariah  Smith 
and  Wm.  J.  Johnston,  who.  like  myself,  were  guests  of  the 
Society.  We  reached  Oakland,  California,  January  22,  and 
were  met  by  Mr.  John  H.  Jewett,  president  of  the  society  r 
and  a  committee  consisting  of  Messrs.  John  S.  Hittell,  Al- 
marin  B.  Paul.  General  Wm.  H.  Pratt,  and  Misses  Anna  P. 
Green  and  Mary  M.  Green.  The  ladies  pinned  badges  of 
the  Society  of  California  Pioneers  on  the  lapels  of  our  coats. 
We  were  received  with  the  greatest  cordiality,  and  were 
taken  to  the  Russ  House,  San  Francisco,  where  we  were 
comfortably  lodged,  being  shown  special  consideration  by 
the  proprietor  and  his  amiable  wife,  and  from  that  time  on 
we  were  given  the  best  of  attention.     Nothing  that  could  be 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  5  I  5 

done  was  too  good  for  us.  and  language  fails  to  express 
our  high  appreciation  of  the  courtesy  and  kindness  be- 
stowed. 

Whenever  we  attended  any  of  the  functions  of  Cali- 
fornia's Golden  Jubilee  Celebration,  or  desired  to  visit  a 
place,  carriages  were  at  our  service.  January  24th  was  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  gold  at  Sutter's  mill 
race,  and  there  was  a  magnificent  pageant  in  celebration  of 
the  event.  We  occupied  the  post  of  distinction  in  the  pro- 
cession, our  carriage  bearing  the  legend,  "Companions  of 
Marshall."  We  were  the  only  survivors  of  that  notable  oc- 
casion, fifty  years  before.  The  place  of  honor  was  also 
accorded  to  us  at  the  celebration  ceremonies  in  the  evening 
at  Wood's  Pavilion,  and  on  the  27th  we  were  at  a  recep- 
tion in  Pioneer  Hall,  and  greeted  the  multitudes,  old  and 
voung,  anxious  to  see  and  shake  hands  with  us;  and  at  the 
Mining  Fair  our  treatment  was  characterized  by  the  same 
cordial  and  distinguished  welcome.  The  celebration  cere- 
monies lasted  the  entire  week.  When  at  our  hotel  we  were 
besieged  by  reporters,  and  hundreds  of  people  called  to  see 
us,  and  get  our  autographs.  Our  photographs  also  were 
taken  for  the  Society  of  Pioneers. 

Outside  of  the  celebration  proper,  there  was  the  same 
magnanimous  kindness.  I  could  not  name  all  the  citizens 
who  extended  to  us  marked  courtesies,  but  feel  that  I  must 
specially  mention  Captain  John  T.  McKenzieof  the  steamer 
San  Rafael,  who  was  very  attentive,  also  Hon.  Irving  Scott, 
manager  of  the  great  Union  Iron  Works,  at  which  place  we 
had  a  particularly  interesting  visit  and  entertainment. 

Two  of  my  companions  started  home  on  January  31st, 
and  the  third  on  February  2nd.  I  staved  a  few  days  longer, 
visiting  my  brother  at  Petaluma.  I  also  went  to  many  other 
places  of  interest,  then  returned  home,  all  expenses  of  my 
journey  being  provided.  A  few  days  later  I  received  the 
following: 


516  life  of  a  pioneer. 

"Executive  Department,  the  Society  of  California 
Pioneers,  No.  5,  Pioneer  Place,  San  Francisco, 
California, 

"February  9,  1898. 
"James  S.  Brown,)  Esq„  Salt  Lake  City.  Utah: 

"Dear  Sir:  I  have  the  honor  of  advising  you  that  at 
the  monthly  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Society  held  at 
Pioneer  Hall  on  Monday,  February  7.  1S98,  the  following 
resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted: 

••  Whereas*  The  Golden  Jubilee  just  passed  marks  the 
second  grand  event  as  connected  with  the  first  discovery  of 
gold  in  California,  and  as  all  pioneers  feel  gratified  at  the 
universal  desire  of  the  people  to  pay  tribute  to  the  pioneer 
days,  now  be  it 

"Resolved^  That  the  Society  of  California  Pioneers  ten- 
ders its  thanks  to  the  press  generally;  to  the  state  and  city 
officials;  to  the  military  as  a  body;  to  the  various  mining 
associations;  to  the  Native  Daughters  and  Native  Sons  of 
the  Golden  West,  and  to  the  man}T  other  organizations  that 
participated  in  making  the  grand  pageant  of  January  24th 
a  splendid  success.     And  be  it  further 

"Resolved^  That  the  thanks  of  this  society  are  also  ten- 
dered to  Henry  W.  Bigler,  James  S.  Brown,  Wm.  J.  John- 
ston and  Azariah  Smith,  the  companions  of  Marshall,  in 
lending  their  presence  for  the  Jubilee;  and  especiallv  do  we 
appreciate  the  efforts  and  labors  of  the  executive  committee 
of  the  Golden  Jubilee,  and  we  also  return  thanks  to  the 
Southern  Pacific  Company  for  complimentary  passes  to  the 
four  companions  of  Marshall  to  and  from  San  Francisco  and 
Ogden,  also  for  its  liberal  contribution  to  ihe  Golden  Jubilee 
held  under  auspices  of  the  society;  and  also  to  Irving 
M.  Scott  on  part  of  the  Union  Iron  Works,  for  the  invita- 
tion to  the  companions  of  Marshall  and  members  of  this 
Society  to  visit  the  works,  and  the  placing  at  our  disposal 
their  tug  for  the  trip,  and  further   for   the  many  courtesies 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   JAMES    S.    BROWN.  517 

extended  to  all  by  the  several   officers   connected   with   the 
works  while  there. 

"J.  H.  Jewett,  President. 

On  February  20th  this  note  came: 

••1 3 16  Hyde  Street,  San  Francisco, 

"February  18,  1898. 
"Afr,  James  S.  Broun: 

"Dear  Sir:  Your  letter  of  the  16th  inst,  with  the  news 
that  you  had  arrived  safely  at  home,  has  given  me  pleasure. 
I  felt  some  responsibility  for  my  part  in  bringing  four  old 
men  so  far  away  from  home,  but  now  that  I  know  all  have 
arrived  in  good  health  at  Salt  Lake,  I  congratulate  myself 
that  events  have  turned  out  so  favorably.  I  have  had  no 
letter  from  Mr.  Bigler  or  Mr.  Smith,  but  they  will  write 
to  me. 

"I  spoke  promptly  to  Mr.  Spear,  the  secretary,  about 
sending  fifteen  dollars  to  pay  for  the  expenses  of  your  re- 
turn trip,  and  I  understood  him  to  promise  that  the  money 
would  be  transmitted  to  you  by  check. 

"The  Pioneer  Society  will  long  preserve  a  pleasant 
recollection  of  the  participation  of  the  four  companions  of 
Marshall  in  our  Jubilee  celebration,  and  personally  I  shall 
always  be  glad  to  hear  of  their  welfare. 

"Yours  truly, 

"John  S.  Hittell." 

Here  is  the  closing  communication  in  relation  to  my 
latest  visit  to  California   and   the   occasion  which  caused  it: 


"San  Francisco,  March  9,  1! 
-Jfr.  fumes  S.  Brown,  Suit  Lake  City: 

"Dear  Sir:     Enclosed  please  find  a  copy   of   the   re- 
port of  the  reception  committee  of  the  Golden  Jubilee: 

"To  John  H.  Jewett,  President  oj  the  California  Pioneers: 
"The   reception  committee   appointed   by  the   Society 


518  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

to  receive  its  guests  attending  the  celebration  of  the  Golden 
Jubilee  on  the  24th  of  January  last,  begs  leave  to  report  that 
its  task  has  been  completed. 

••On  the  morning  of  January  22nd  all  the  members  of 
the  committee  received  and  welcomed  the  four  companions 
of  Marshall  on  the  overland  train  at  Oakland,  and  escorted 
them  to  the  Russ  House,  where,  under  the  direction  of 
President  John  H.  Jewett,  they  were  provided  with  comfort- 
able accommodations. 

"These  four  men,  the  only  survivors  of  those  who 
were  with  Marshall  at  Coloma  when  he  discovered  gold 
there  on  Monday,  the  24th  of  January,  1848,  are: 

"I.  Henry  W.  Bigler,  born  in  Harrison  County,  West 
Virginia,  August  28th,  1815,  who  in  his  diary  made  the 
onlv  written  record  of  the  gold  discovery  on  the  day  of  its 
occurrence.     He  is  now  a  resident  of  St.  George,  Utah. 

"2.  Azariah  Smith,  born  at  Boylston,  New  York,  on 
the  1st  of  August,  1828,  who,  on  the  first  Sunday  after  the 
discovery,  wrote  in  his  diary  that  gold  had  been  found  in 
the  preceding  week. 

"3.  James  S.  Brown,  born  in  Davison  County,  North 
Carolina,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1828,  who  recollects  that  on 
the  evening  of  January  24th,  1848,  H.  W.  Bigler  said  he 
would  write  in  his  diary  that  something  like  gold  had  been 
discovered,  as  it  might  be  important  some  day.  He  re- 
sides in  Salt  Lake  City. 

"4.  Wm.  J.Johnston,  born  near  New  Baltimore,  Ohio, 
on  the  21st  of  August,  1824,  and  now  resides  in  Ramah, 
New  Mexico. 

"These  four  men  are  all  clear  in  mind,  and  for  their 
years,  strong  and  active  in  body. 

"In  the  procession  on  the  24th  they  occupied  a  carriage 
marked  'Companions  of  Marshall.'  On  the  evening  of  that 
day.  they  were  entertained  in  our  hall  with  special  honor, 
and  two  days  later  they  held  a  reception  in  the  same  place. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    JAMES    S.    BROWN.  519 

Various  members  of  our  Society,  and  especially  Captain 
McKenzie.  showed  them  much  attention.  They  were  guests 
of  honor  at  the  Mining  Fair  on  the  opening  evening.  Hon. 
Irving  M.  Scott,  manager  of  the  Union  Iron  Works,  gave 
them  a  special  entertainment  at  his  shipyard;  and  other 
citizens  contributed  to  make  their  stay  in  our  city  pleasant. 
The  whole  Jubilee  week  was  a  round  of  festivity  for  them. 
••Messrs.  Bigler  and  Smith  were  escorted  to  their  re- 
turning train  at  Oakland  on  the  31st  of  January.  Mr. 
Johnston  two  days  later,  and  Mr.  Brown  in  the  next  suc- 
ceeding week.  They  all  reached  their  homes  safely,  and 
all  have  written  to  members  of  the  committee  acknowledg- 
ing the  attention  and  honor  shown  to  them  bv  the  Society 
of  California  Pioneers. 

"As  they  are  the  only  persons  now  living  who  sawr 
gold  in  the  days  of  its  discovery,  their  attendance  at  our 
semi-centennial  celebration  connected  our  Jubilee  in  a  high- 
ly interesting  manner  with  the  great  event  which  it  commem- 
orated. We  may  add  that  personal  acquaintance  with 
these  venerable  men  has  been  a  source  of  pleasure  to  all 
members  of  this  committee,  as  well  as  to  many  other  Pio- 
neers. 

"Respectfully  submitted, 

"John  S.  Hittell,  Chairman. 

"Almarin  B.  Paul, 

"W.  H.  Pratt." 

Upon  my  return  home,  I  again  gave  attention  to  this 
autobiography,  which  proved  no  light  task,  as  my  health 
has  been  far  from  good. 

On  the  14th  of  December,  1899,  a  keen  sorrow  came 
to  myself  and  family.  My  son  Homer,  in  his  twenty-sixth 
year,  died  on  that  date,  as  a  result  of  injuries  received  at  a 
cave-in  at  the  Silver  King  mine,  Park  City,  Utah,  three 
weeks  before.  When  war  broke  out  between  Spain  and 
the  United  States  in  1898,  he  enlisted  in  response  to  Presi- 


520  LIFE    OF    A    PIONEER. 

dent  McKinley's  call  for  volunteers,  and  became  a  member 
of  Troop  C,  Utah  Volunteer  Cavalry.  After  his  return 
from  California,  where  the  cavalry  was  sent,  he  was  mar- 
ried, the  event  occurring  two  months  before  the  accident 
which  cost  him  his  life.  On  December  19,  he  was  buried 
in  Salt  Lake  City,  the  funeral  services  being  held  at  the 
Seventeenth  Ward  assembly  rooms. 

In  the  summer  of  1898,  I  was  added  to  the  list  of 
Utah's  Old  Folks,  attending  the  excursion  to  Lagoon, 
Davis  County,  in  July,  1898.  to  Geneva,  Utah  County,  in 
July,  1899,  and  again  at  Lagoon  on  July  6,  1900.  The 
Old  Folks  include  all  people  over  seventy  years  of  age,  in- 
dependent of  creed,  race  or  color;  these  are  accorded  re- 
ceptions, excursions,  and  similar  happy  courtesies,  as  marks 
of  honor  and  respect  to  the  aged.  The  central  committee 
having  this  highly  appreciated  undertaking  in  charge  has 
for  its  chairman  the  Presiding  Bishop  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus   Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

By  the  close  of  1899,  I  had  completed  the  preparation 
of  my  life's  history  for  publication  in  a  neat  volume,  and 
soon  thereafter  arranged  for  the  printing,  which  at  this 
date.  July,  1900,  is  accomplished.  Now  that  I  have  reached 
the  seventy-second  annual  milestone  of  my  life,  I  realize 
that  the  period  for  especially  notable  or  thrilling  events  in 
my  mortal  career  is  past;  and  in  the  publication  of  my  auto- 
biography, I  sincerely  trust  that  this  humble  final  extended 
labor  on  my  part  will  achieve  the  principle  aim  of  its  per- 
formance, that  of  doing  good  to  those  who  live  after  me,  in 
the  witness  its  record  bears  of  the  mercy,  power,  and  good- 
ness of  God,  and  the  latter-day  progress  of  His  great  and 
loving  design  for  the  blessing  and  salvation  of  His  children. 
With  this  attainment,  the  influence  of  the  record,  Life  of  a 
Pioneer,  will  be  in  accord  with  the  sincere  desire  and 
earnest  effort  of  my  soul  throughout  life. 


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